Hearty lectin-free salads are a big staple in my diet. They are quick, filling, and offer enough variety to keep me looking forward to my next healthy meal.
You want to have your fridge stocked with ready-to-go salad ingredients that you can throw together at the drop of a hat. That’s a big successful action to keep in mind. Never let yourself get so hungry that you end up eating “whatever” just because you couldn’t find the time or ingredients to put a healthy meal together. Remember, what you don’t eat is more important than what you do eat.
As you may have guessed (or read) I have been following the Plant Paradox guidelines, and have had great success on this lectin-free diet.
So, here’s the 101 on what to have on hand, and how to put a salad together.
Greens
Your salad should be made up of 80% greens. I buy organic baby greens in bulk at Costco or Sam’s Club. But you can get them at the grocery store in smaller packages at a slightly higher price. Just make sure they’re organic. Baby spinach is also very good, but I am not a big fan of eating kale, or even baby kale (it’s too astringent). But if you like it, go for it! I save the kale for smoothies.
Fiber
One of the most important things you have to keep doing on this diet is eating lots of fiber. Fiber feeds your good gut bacteria, absorbs toxins in your guts, and keeps you regular. Fiber comes from vegetables. So, makes sure you put some veggies in your salad. I almost always have leftover roast, boiled, steamed, or stir-fried veggies in my fridge. So, I toss those into my salad and eat them cold. They are still delicious, and satisfying.
Probiotics
You should have pro-biotics with every meal. You can take them in the form of pills, but I like to ferment my own veggies, keep them in jars, and add them to my salads. They are delicious, they are fun to make, and they keep for a very long time (and they taste like pickles). I’m sure I’ll write some blog posts on fermenting your own veggies.
The Party Bits
The party bits are those little pieces of food that you don’t really need, but that add some excitement to your salad. They’re the “treats” you can put in there. As long as they conform to the rules of Plant Paradox, you should always have them in there. Here are some examples: olives, hearts of palm, pickled mushrooms, onions, berries, fruit (in moderation), and non-cow-cheeses like goat cheese, or buffalo mozzarella.
Fats
To make your salad a complete meal, you should have some healthy fats in there. I always drizzle my salads with some insanely fresh-pressed olive oil that my dad brings me from Argentina when he visits (it is incredibly flavorful!). This covers the fat requirement. But you can also add approved non-bovine cheeses in there, and even nuts (although if you’re trying to lose weight, too many nuts may stall your weight loss FYI).
Protein
This is optional. Sometimes I put protein in my salads and sometimes I don’t. It depends if I’m craving it or not. Listen to your body. I like to put leftover fish, canned wild tuna, canned wild salmon, leftover seafood, roast pastured chicken, etc. One of my favorites is Proscuitto di Parma that I get from Costco.
Dressing / Vinaigrette
I keep it simple. I drizzle my salads with olive oil, apple cider vinegar (the acetic acid will help you lose weight), iodized salt, garlic powder, and a little black pepper. Sometimes if I’m bored, I will mix a spoonful of tahini and lemon juice in there to make more of a rich “dressing”.
The most successful tip that I can share with you to keep you going strong on this lifestyle change is that you must ALWAYS have lectin-free foods in your fridge. And ideally, you shouldn’t have any lectins in your house. We are a family of 4, so that is not possible. In my case, I have to make sure that my fridge is always stocked with the ingredients that I need, so that when my daughter is eating pizza in front of me, I can slap a salad together and stave off the temptation to have a little bite of “lectin-pie”.
I also run a successful chef business and am a food stylist, so my free time is short. I cook a WHOLE BUNCH of food whenever I get a chance. On Sundays, my kitchen is a lectin-free food factory! During the week I can always find combinations of things in my fridge to put together for my meals.
