I know what you're thinking: there's some "best" way to eat a salad? The answer is YES. First of all, let's talk about powerfoods. 

What are powerfoods?

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I'm going to mention them regularly because they tend to be plants and a tummy full of plants is a happy tummy. And any ZOE member is challenged to hit a plant goal every day! Why? First, plants are your best go-to for fiber and fiber promotes a healthy gut microbiome. It promotes regular bowel movements too, obvi, but the contribution it makes to boosting the good bugs in your gut is relatively new news. And it's all about the power of phytochemicals. If you want all the science, go here, or pick up Fiber Fueled, or listen to this edition of the ZOE Science and Nutrition podcast. 

The other amazing thing that makes plants so powerful? They provide an extraordinary nutritional bang per ounce. And the less time that passes between picking them and eating them, the more power they can share. This means you should think seriously about growing a few of your own edible leaves, sprouts, or microgreens. And when you shop at the farmer's market, plan on eating lots of that produce the same day you buy it! Your body will thank you.

What's makes this salad powerful? 

When we think about superfoods, things like broccoli and blueberries come to mind, not salad greens. But I'm here to tell you, EAT YOUR LEAVES. As I go through what makes such "basic" salad ingredients so special, I'm leaning on two books: Life Changing Foods and Power Foods. 

Let's start with all the different leaves: spring mix and arugula (from the grocery store), a few kale leaves from my hydroponic garden (see below), and a handful of microgreens. These are often thought of as nothing more than the boring base of a salad, but they're actually vegetable royalty! Leafy greens are practically predigested so they don't require much from your digestive system and they immediately get to work scrubbing and massaging your stomach lining, small intestine and colon, loosening old trapped yeast, mold, and other types of fungus and pockets of waste matter. If eating lettuce upsets you, start with small quantities of butter leaf or red leaf lettuce until you build up a tolerance. Leafy greens also help create a more alkaline stomach composition and general alkalinity in other body systems, especially the lymphatic system. This matters because the lymphatic system can become the most acidic of all thanks to the barrage of chemicals, acids, plastics, pesticides, and pathogens constantly entering it. Leafy greens help drain the lymphatic system of these toxins. 

They hold vital mineral salts and trace amounts of bioavailable iodine, chromium, sulfur, magnesium, calcium, chromium, sulfur, manganese, and molybdenum, which are critical for neurotransmitter and neuron support. Leafy greens are high in enzymes too as well as vitamin A, B, healing alkaloids, and forms of chlorophyll and carotenes. This unique group of nutrients works together to feed all organs and body systems. Oh, and believe it or not: Leafy greens contain the most bioavailable and assimilable proteins you can find. So the next time you find yourself picking all the "good" stuff out of a salad and leaving the boring leaves, remember what you just read! Your body will thank you for eating your greens. 

A separate note on microgreens: what's the point? Well, take everything said above about grown-up greens and multiply it for these babies. They pack even more of a phytochemical punch than the veggies they'll become (hello broccoli greens) but require a fraction of the processing to assimilate their powers. Oh, and they're easy to grow at home so you can cut them and eat them immediately. 

Green onions: Any kind of onion (leeks, chives, scallions, red onions, shallots etc) is a natural antibacterial. To really benefit from onion's qualities, we need to eat them more often! Some people feel uncomfortable after eating onions but, contrary to popular belief, they are not irritants. An upset tummy from onions is an indication that you likely have an elevated level of unproductive bacteria in your gut. Onions work to eliminate that bacteria and the resulting die-off can result in temporary discomfort. Onions are one of the most accomplished foods on the planet for keeping down bacterial overgrowth in the body. Onions are also high in trace minerals zinc, manganese, iodine, and selenium so they can help rejuvenate the skin and protect your lungs (helpful for addressing colds and flus). They're also the ultimate anti-inflammatories for the bowels.  

Avocados: Avos have been called "the mother fruit" and "the soul of all other foods" because an avo is the closest food on the planet to breast milk. Maybe that's why babies love them when they're offered them as early solids? Avocado is at the top of my gut-boosting food list from ZOE. Why? It contains phytochemicals called isothiocaynates - they're responsible for the color of the yellow-green flesh and help restore stomach and intestinal linings. Avocados are amazing for your brain too! A healthy source of omega-6 fatty acids, they can help restore the central nervous system and ward off dementia. They also have an anti-aging effect on your skin, reducing dryness and contributing to the disappearance of dark under-eye circles.

Pepitas / pumpkin seeds: Just a handful of these seeds offers a concentrated source of protein and energy-producing magnesium, along with generous amounts of immunity-boosting zinc. Abundant in phytosterols, which help lower cholesterol, pumpkin seeds also provide lots of fiber when eaten in their shells. So next Halloween, keep all those seeds you scoop out and roast them with salt and garlic powder. 

So much for a "simple" salad eh?

So, what if you don't have the space to grow greens? Well, I live in an apartment with no deck or outdoor space. So I have a countertop Aerogarden. It was given to me as a Xmas gift a couple of years ago and I was skeptical. But I've now experimented a bit with the mix of things I like to have in there and I'm impressed by the kale and lettuce varieties. This winter I let thyme, sage and Thai basil go a little nuts but having them around felt therapeutic during Chicago's bleak grey days.  

A hydroponic garden this size does not produce fast enough to provide you with a full salad every day. But it can provide you with a few leaves to supplement your salads, and those leave were living just minutes before arriving in your tummy so they're powerful.   

What's the best way to eat salad?


I'm a huge fan of The Glucose Goddess and one of her key hacks for preventing big glucose spikes is "add a green starter to all your meals". Why? Because eating fiber before you eat anything else slows everything else down, especially glucose. 

Your green starter doesn't have to be salad, but salad is great because (a) it's SO nutritious and (b) adding a sprinkle of vinegar to a salad is a pretty normal way to use and eat vinegar. Why does this matter? Because ingesting vinegar before a meal will also help you keep your glucose spikes to a minimum. Why does this matter? That's for another day and another post. Last best thing to do? Use pink Himalayan salt instead of sea salt.

Why pink Himalayan salt? First, it's an ancient salt that's been compressed over millions of years and is believed to be one of the purest forms of salt for that reason. Second, unlike refined table salt that's been stripped of its mineral content, pink Himalayan salt contains all 84 essential trace elements required by your body.

So my point today is that there IS a best way to eat a salad: eat it first, dress it in vinegar, good olive oil and pink Himalayan salt, and appreciate what a service it's doing for your body. And then eat whatever else you like to feel full! A salad does not have to be the only thing you eat... just make it the first thing at one meal a day. As often as possible.