Well, it is definitely salad season. It is always great to be eating seasonally, not only for our health but the planet too. In the summer months, we have an abundance of lovely salad leaves, ripe juicy tomatoes and fresh cucumbers to enjoy. With the heat, we may not be feeling up to cooking in the kitchen, so throwing a salad together at the end of a hot day is just the ticket.

But do you generally stick to the same kind of salad? Is it always lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber and maybe a pepper and some kind of protein? Well, I wanted to inspire you to upgrade your salad to make it even healthier.

When I was younger I used to hate eating green things. The odd pea or broccoli was ok, but I had an aversion to salad leaves. Picking them out of dishes and sandwiches whenever I could. I actually didn’t eat my first salad until I was in my early 20s and would still avoid them whenever I could.

When I became ill with my autoimmune condition, with a lot of inflammation in my body, I was encouraged to eat more vegetables and it has only been in the last 10 years that I have actually embraced the salad. And to fully embrace it, I had to work hard at making that salad taste so good and be completely nourishing and satisfying. For me that meant a variety of flavours, textures and a really good dressing!

Now, when I make a salad I like to build it in layers. There are many additions you can make, to not only add flavour and texture, but also there are some wonderful ingredients with added health benefits too. So I thought I would share my top tips for the best rocking salads:

Here are 10 ways to upgrade your salad to nourish your gut health

Choose a variety of leaves. Don’t just always stick to your gem or iceberg lettuce, bring in a variety of different leaves. What about lambs lettuce for its abundance in iron, potassium and beta-carotene. Rocket for its wonderful bitter flavour which is great at stimulating the liver and aiding digestion. It is rich in vitamin C and other antioxidants. Or Endive, another bitter flavoured leaf, rich in potassium (which can help to lower blood pressure), and also vitamins K and A which are needed for eye health.
What about grating some different vegetables through your salad to get more variety? I love grated raw carrot, beetroot, courgettes or even sweet potatoes can work really nicely. Think about adding different colours to ensure you get a variety of nutrients from your meal. Think about including the rainbow in your salad.
Ensure you have some jars of sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, sweet peppers, olives, butter beans or large chickpeas in your cupboards so you can easily pull together a tasty salad with a few store cupboard staples and some fresh leaves. This helps you to easily and quickly add some extra variety with very little effort.

4. Add in some seeds - not only to add texture, but you will be giving yourself some added protein and healthy fats. My favourites are linseeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or sesame seeds. Or a mix of them. I have a few jars of seeds in my kitchen drawer and just use them to sprinkle over my meals and they make a great addition to a salad. Or nuts like walnuts, cashews, pistachios and almonds can all work really nicely tossed through a salad.

5. Pomegranates, black grapes or blackberries and blueberries work really well in a salad. They add a fresh sweet flavour and are rich in polyphenols (plant chemicals) which are particularly nourishing to the good bacteria in our gut. Capers, which are small edible flower buds from the capparis shrub, will give you a mega dose of antioxidants, they add a saltiness to your salad and are also a top polyphenol food.

6. Pulses are a great source of protein but if you sprout them, then it provides even more amino acids and digestive enzymes. You can easily sprout your own pulses on your windowsill, but now sprout mixes are readily available in the salad section of your supermarket.

7. Add some fresh herbs to your salad. I think parsley, coriander, mint or basil work well.

8. Add a good source of protein. Organic salmon, eggs, chicken, or feta are great or large butter beans, black beans, chickpeas and quinoa are a favourite.

9. You may even like to add a side of pickled vegetables or sauerkraut to bring in some sour flavour and also enjoy their gut nourishing benefits as they are rich in healththy bacteria.

10. It is always great to have a dose of healthy fat to every meal to support your hormones, heart health and brain function. In a salad you could consider avocados, olives, nuts and seeds and don’t forget your dressing. Try and make your own dressings. Shop bought dressings tend to be high in sugar and preservatives. Making your own dressings mean you can focus on healthier ingredients. Here are my favourite home-made salad dressing recipes:

Herby Dressing - this one needs blitzing in a blender⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
2 tbsp olive oil, 1 garlic clove, juice of 1 lemon, 1 tbsp maple syrup, handful of coriander, handful of fresh mint⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Blueberry dressing: - you need to blitz this one too⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1 large handful of blueberries, juice of 1 lime, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Turmeric Dressing⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp maple syrup⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Avocado dressing (needs blitzing)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1/2 avocado, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp maple syrup, juice of a lime⠀⠀⠀
Tahini dressing ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp tahini, juice of 1 lemon.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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