Better for Your Bones Salads

You search for convenient foods for lunch, intending to make a healthy choice for your bones to keep you satisfied. Your selection becomes a premade salad bowl that you can find in your local grocery store.   

But is it a good choice for you? Are you hungry thirty minutes after you eat it and then munch on chips or anything else you can find for the rest of the afternoon?  

Your good intentions were there, but the salad did not sustain you. Then you felt guilty. What happened?  

You got a salad in a bowl, and it looked great. It had everything you needed, or at least you thought so. It looked tasty, and all the foods went together, but it wasn’t enough to meet your nutritional needs. It had little bits of what you needed.   

The salad bowl was a good start, but you need more.  Veggies are a good choice for your bones, but they, even with the other little bits of food, are not enough. In a 2018 study, women who ate veggies daily had a lower incidence of osteoporosis.

  

Getting what you need from a salad bowl  

A salad with only 7 grams of protein and minimal amounts of carbs will not meet your needs for bone and muscle maintenance. And for many, it doesn’t provide sustenance throughout the afternoon.  

Several salads that we looked at met fat needs, but carbs and protein content came in low. The foods in the thin sectioned tray may look like a lot, but it’s not. Underneath, you will find a fluff of lettuce which will not fill you up for long.  

Convenient better-for-your-bones additions   

With any salad, use just enough of the accompanying salad dressing to get flavor and creaminess. The salad dressing is usually where added salt, fats, and sugars hang out with minimal nutritional benefit.   

And hey, if you’re eating from home, you can skip the dressing and add a healthier-for-you infused olive oil and flavored vinegar if you like.  

When packing your lunch, remember to bring fruit, veggies, protein, and a whole grain, along with your salad.  

• Fruit – fresh or dried fruit or a water-packed fruit cup  

• Whole grain – crackers, bread, or precooked quinoa or brown rice  

• Protein – nuts, hummus, boiled egg, string cheese, or foil-packed chicken, tuna, or salmon   

• Veggies – carrots, bell peppers, radishes, broccoli, celery sticks, tomatoes, cucumbers, or jicama slices  

These are easy to store in a refrigerator or a cooler with ice packs.  

Also, if you are looking for tips on what to pack for lunch, check out our complimentary 5-day email course 5 Staples for Quick Meals to Keep Your Bones Strong. 

Our suggestions for common salad bowls  

More food is needed to complete your salad if you want to support your bones.  

There are many salad options to choose from. We are highlighting the more common Caesar, Fiesta, Cobb, and Chef salads, which typically range in cost from three to five dollars.  

In analyzing the contents of these salads, here are our suggestions for what to add to increase protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.  

To a Ceasar salad, you can add a foil pouch of tuna fish, crackers, and a peach or orange.  

To a Fiesta salad, add a serving of tortilla chips, grapes, bell peppers, and canned beans or a chicken foil pack to complete the meal.  

Improve a Cobb salad with tomato and avocado slices and packaged precooked brown rice or quinoa. For protein, add canned beans, a boiled egg, or a foil package of chicken.  

A Chef salad can be improved with an ounce of cheese, boiled egg, or cottage cheese and fruit on the side. Enjoy it with carrots and whole-grain crackers.  

Conclusion  

Convenient salad bowls are tasty but don’t have enough protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals to sustain your nutritional needs. Easy adds can enhance your salad, making it more enjoyable and better for your bones.