Bohol Province -- As we all continuously cope with the pandemic experienced until these days, we tend to lean more on ways of having a healthy lifestyle for us to boost our immune system against the virus. Be it exercising, indulging ourselves in indoor sports, vitamin supplementation, or having a healthy diet. Having a healthy diet means we need to eat a variety of food to balance out our food intake and to make sure that we get the necessary nutrients that our body needs. 

A salad is one of the healthiest dishes that you can have and more people are slowly adapting their appetite to this kind of food. Here are some healthy salads which are quick and easy to prepare at the convenience of your home. 

Classic coleslaw

This is a green salad that is made up of shredded cabbages mixed with mayonnaise and other vegetables like carrots, onions, and green bell pepper. All you need to do is mix all the vegetables, mayonnaise, and seasonings according to your preference in a bowl. While this salad is consumed in small amounts, this will surely have a good impact on your health as the cabbage which is the main ingredient is packed with nutrients. It helps improve digestion and is an excellent source of vitamin K which may help in keeping any inflammation in check. 

Caesar salad

To prepare this green salad, just mix the olive oil, lemon juice, raw egg, anchovies or Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper according to your taste and this will serve as the salad dressing that will be tossed onto the romaine lettuce. It is then topped with some croutons and parmesan cheese. This delightful salad is highly beneficial for your body's needs. 

Green potato salad 

This will surely be your top favorite. What you all need to do is boil the potatoes in salted water until tender and cut this into small cubes. Set this aside as you will be preparing the dressing. For the dressing, mix the mayonnaise, mustard, paprika, dill, honey, and ham and season it to your preferred taste. Add the prepared dressing to the cooked potatoes just enough to coat and you can now serve or consume this. You may think that this salad is very dense but they're also packed with vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B, folate, fiber, vitamin C, and potassium. Potassium helps to reduce blood pressure, and the fiber found in potatoes can help lower cholesterol. Potatoes also contain niacin, a vitamin that converts food into fuel and improves overall circulation. 

Mango-mayo dressing

This is a perfect mix of lettuce and fruits such as grapes, apples, and peaches complemented by mayonnaise that is also mixed with mango puree and honey. Just a bowl of everything healthy is what this dish is. Last, but not least is the 

Sweet Chicken Macaroni Salad  

This salad is so popular and good that this has always been on the list on most occasions. To make this salad, just mix mayonnaise and condensed milk. You then add the cheese, carrots, onions, pickle relish, ham, pineapple tidbits, and cooked chicken. Lastly, add the macaroni pasta and now you can enjoy this delightful salad. This salad is also considered a complete meal since this covers carbohydrate, protein, and fat. 

Salads may be the most loved or hated by many people since a lot of people don’t usually include vegetables on their plate, but we must also remind ourselves that eating vegetables and fruits is a great way of incorporating more fiber, which can help prevent Type 2 Diabetes and from being obese. The fiber found in vegetables can also aid in blood cholesterol management. 

In addition to that, vegetables and fruits are also full of important nutrients including antioxidants which can help prevent and fight disease. However, while salads can be loaded with some important nutrients, not all salads are created to be healthy. Some salads usually don’t have enough amount of protein that our body needs. 

Some salads don’t have carbohydrates too and this can greatly affect our nutritional status. On the other hand, the salad dressing mainly composes of fat, sodium, and other preservatives. If consumed in large amounts, this can also harm our bodies in the long run. Thus, we must be mindful of how much and what we put into our plate for it to be balanced. 

Good health, which includes healthy eating habits and a healthy lifestyle, is our major form of protection from any sickness and illness. Perhaps, we must always remember that too much of anything is as bad as too little. // ND II Jocefel O. Callet, RND