Diet salads for work are a good alternative to second breakfasts or lunches, which are not conducive to a slim figure and consist of traditional sandwiches or ready-made meals. If we replace a white roll with yellow cheese and sausage, greasy hamburger or kebab, or instant soup full of chemicals with a tasty salad packed with vitamins and other nutrients, both our figure and body will benefit. What is important, especially for busy people, diet salads can be prepared in an express pace. In just a few minutes you can create a light dish to take to work, which will help us to survive from breakfast to lunch without the feeling of gastric suction.
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Second breakfasts and lunches for work – the most neglected meal of the day
The meal we eat at work is not only meant to ward off hunger, but also to give us energy. Unfortunately, for a second breakfast or lunch at work we tend to choose the quickest and easiest to prepare meal that will fill our stomachs quickly and satiate us for a while.
These are usually sandwiches or ready-made dishes that can be popped in water or cooked in a microwave. Sometimes we completely give up taking a meal to work and use a convenient but unhealthy solution, namely fast food, which we buy in local pubs.
These are not habits that promote weight loss. Although a sandwich with cold meat or cheese may not be particularly harmful, it does not have a very high nutritional value. It also does not provide a long-lasting feeling of satiety and high energy level for the next few hours, it only satisfies the first hunger, and for a relatively short time.
As for ready meals or fast food, they are no longer indifferent to our health. They contain large amounts of fats and carbohydrates, the worst kinds, provide empty calories, have almost no nutritional value and cause weight gain. Moreover, they do not shy away from preservatives, flavor enhancers and other synthetics that poison the whole body.
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Diet salads for work an ally for weight loss
Diet salads are an unbeatable way for a quick meal at work, especially if you care about your health and keeping a slim figure or if you are currently losing weight. Why is it worth reaching for them?
- A properly composed diet salad will satisfy your hunger for a longer time.
- A fit salad is a low-calorie meal, which does not make you fat.
- A diet salad will not cause sudden fluctuations in blood sugar levels, and thus will not cause a sudden drop in energy, fatigue and sleepiness, which often occurs after eating sweets, white flour products or other foods containing too many carbohydrates.
- A diet salad will provide us with many valuable nutrients, which will have a positive effect on our intellectual and physical performance.
- A diet salad is a way to eat something tasty, varied, interesting and original, as opposed to banal sandwiches, fast food and ready-made meals.
Diet salads – recipes
How to make fit salads so that on the one hand they are nutritious, filling meals, and on the other they do not threaten our figure, and even slightly increase metabolism and stimulate fat and calorie burning? Despite appearances it is not difficult.
Let’s start from the base of a salad, which should be vegetables. It is best to use about 4-5 different vegetables in various colours, e.g. lettuce, tomatoes, radishes, yellow peppers, black olives, carrots etc.
In addition to vegetables, a fit salad should also include ingredients that make it more nutritious: legumes, cheeses (e.g. mozzarella, low-fat feta, cottage cheese, goat’s cheese), a small amount of wholemeal pasta, groats or rice, diced chicken or turkey, hard-boiled eggs, shredded tuna, etc.
Our salad will be honed by ingredients containing unsaturated fatty acids, such as flaxseed, linseed, sunflower seeds, olive oil, nuts, fish. These components will “feed” our brain and improve well-being.
The composition should also be enriched with spices that speed up metabolism, such as: turmeric, black pepper, curry, cayenne pepper, basil, garlic, apple cider vinegar. Some mixes will also work well with the addition of fruit: avocado, grapefruit, apple, pomegranate.
Proven recipes for dietetic salads for work
Fit salad with chicken, wholemeal pasta and a mix of vegetables
Ingredients:
- half a cooked chicken breast
- a handful of cooked wholemeal pasta
- 3 handfuls of lettuce torn into small pieces
- 1 red pepper
- 1 long green cucumber
- 5 radishes
- 3 sprigs of chives
- 3 teaspoons capers
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, lemon juice, pepper, curry
Preparation:
Cut the chicken and peppers into cubes. Cut the cucumber and radishes in thicker slices. Chop the chives. Combine all the ingredients, season with salt, pepper, curry powder, lemon juice and olive oil.
Diet salad with tuna and chickpeas
Ingredients:
- 1 can of tuna in own sauce
- 3 handfuls of kale
- 1 tin of chickpeas
- half a leek
- 3 pickled cucumbers
- 1 red pepper
- 2 tablespoons natural yogurt, 1 tablespoon mustard, pepper cayenne, oregano and basil, a pinch of sugar to taste
Preparation:
Dice cucumbers and peppers, shred tuna and kale, chop leek into thin slices, then combine ingredients. Add the chickpeas and mix. Add yoghurt, mustard and spices, mix thoroughly.
Recipe for diet salad with salmon, egg and sunflower seeds
Ingredients:
- 1 package of smoked salmon
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
- 2 handfuls of sunflower seeds
- lettuce mix
- 6-8 cherry tomatoes
- 2 sprigs celery
- a few sprigs of dill
- half an onion
- dressing: 2-3 spoons of olive oil, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of honey, pepper, salt, 1 clove of garlic, basil
Preparation:
Shred the salmon. Cut the eggs into quarters and the tomatoes into halves. Cut the celery into small pieces. Chop the dill and onion finely. Prepare the sauce. Place the lettuce on a large salad bowl, then place the remaining ingredients on top. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds previously roasted on a dry frying pan. Pour the dressing over, stir lightly.
Refreshing, diet salad with watermelon and feta cheese
Ingredients:
- quarter of a watermelon
- packet of low fat feta cheese
- 2 handfuls of black olives
- 4 handfuls of fresh spinach or rocket leaves
- 1 yellow or red pepper
- 1 long green cucumber
- fresh parsley or coriander
- 2 tbsp olive oil, basil, salt, pepper, lemon juice to taste
Preparation:
Cut the feta, peppers, cucumber and watermelon into larger cubes. Cut the olives into thicker slices. Chop the parsley or coriander finely. Combine ingredients, add olive oil, season with salt, pepper, basil, lemon juice.