Tired of eating boring salads? Jazz up your salads with these easy tips

Very often, salads get a bad rep as being boring but that's mainly because many of us are not going the extra mile to jazz it up. Eating salads doesn't have to feel like a boring chore and it can actually be a great way to include fruits and vegetables in your diet while enjoying a delicious meal. There are many easy ways to make salads interesting while keeping them healthy.

Use a variety of textures to keep things interesting

Adding different textures to your salad can introduce a sense of adventure to your meals. This can be achieved with toppings like nuts, chia seeds, beans, crispy croutons, sunflower seeds or bits of mozzarella or parmesan to add both flavour and texture. You can even add your leftover roasted veggies.

One thing to be careful of here is to not add too many elements which might make the salad unintentionally calorie-dense.

Use whole grains to up the fibre and protein

According to Harvard School of Public Health, you should choose whole grains instead of refined grains because they help in steadying blood sugar levels, lower cholesterol and are rich in antioxidants, phytochemicals and vitamins.

Using whole grains in your salads can help keep your salad interesting, while also upping the fibre and protein content and making your salad a fuller and complete meal in itself. Whole grains include millets, barley, buckwheat, oats and brown rice.

The dressing can change everything

Using a good dressing can completely uplift the flavour profile of a salad, turning it from being sad and boring, to fun and exciting. Vinaigrettes are an easy starting point when it comes to salad dressings. Here is a recipe for a basic vinaigrette from The Kitchn.

Fresh herbs in salads are underrated

A lot of people use herbs as a garnish without appreciating their ability to add a sense of completion to a dish. Using herbs such as mint, basil, parsley or thyme can add extra oomph to your salads by complementing the flavours of the other components of your salad.

When it comes to ingredients, think outside the box

A lot of us are stuck eating the same kinds of vegetables in salads. It's usually the same lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers that we might reach for. But there is a whole world of fruits and vegetables out there that you should explore.

For example, even adding fruits such as green apples, melons or mangoes to your regular lettuce salad can do a lot to up the ante when it comes to your salad game. This delicious smashed cucumber and melon salad from Bon Appetitis very easy to put together and is definitely an unexpected combination.

One way to maintain variation in your salads is by picking seasonal produce which ensures that you are not stuck buying and eating the same fruits and vegetables all year round.

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