By Sue Bedford (MSc Nutritional Therapy)
Who loves a gorgeous salad? Salads need not be boring! Here are a few tips on how to build a nutritious and delicious salad:
Choose your greens – these are important as they contain a good amount of folate (think foliage!) go for watercress, spinach, mixed lettuce, kale…
Add a carbohydrate eg roasted sweet potato, fruit, cous cous, quinoa
Pick your protein – beans, egg, chicken ,turkey, tofu, fish
Crisp it up- add some seeds, nuts, purple cabbage, broccoli, grated carrot, pomegranate
Make a homemade dressing -French? Orange-balsamic? Ranch style? take your pick but make it from scratch (there will be some recipe ideas on the way).
Passionfruit, Avocado and Chicken Summer Salad
Enjoy the summer alfresco style with this ‘nutritious and delicious’ summer salad packed full of fertility-friendly nutrients.
Chicken- is a healthy lean meat and besides being an excellent source of protein, chicken also contains a special amino acid, L-carnitine, which is necessary for sperm cells to function normally. L-carnitine was found in studies, to assist in normalizing sperm motility, which is a crucial component to male fertility. Chicken contains all of the B vitamins which help the body form red blood cells and also produce energy and a healthy nervous system. Folate (vitamin B9) is important in the prevention of neural tube defects in the developing foetus. Chicken is also high in zinc, iron, potassium and phosphorus, all important to health and fertility.
Avocado– amazing nutritionally as it provides over 18 vital nutrients, including monounsaturated (healthy fat) and omega 3 too.
Passionfruit– fabulous nutritionally and is low in calories too. Its, beautiful orange flesh gives away is rich in beta carotene (which the body converts into vitamin A) which helps to produce the female sex hormones (oestrogen and progesterone). These hormones are important for ovulation and for the regulation of the menstrual cycle. Vitamin A helps to protect us from conditions related to oestrogen dominance, including breast cysts, heavy menstrual bleeding and ovarian cancer. Passionfruit also provides the essential vitamins B2, B3, B6, and C. Rich in fibre and important minerals, including potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, and iron – it is certainly a great fruit to pop into your shopping trolley!
Passionfruit, Avocado and Chicken Salad (serves 2-3)
1 avocado, peeled, destoned and sliced
2 medium chicken breasts
2 teaspoon olive oil
10 black olives
½ bag of baby spinach
10 cherry tomatoes halved
3 passionfruit halved
½ red onion thinly sliced
½ pomegranate seeds removed
1 handful of chopped coriander
Pinch of seasoning (to taste)
Passionfruit Dressing
120ml extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoon passionfruit flesh and seeds
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 teaspoon honey
1 clove garlic crushed
salt and pepper to taste
How to make :
Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise and season to taste. Sauté in 2 teaspoon olive oil over medium high heat until browned and cooked through (around 3 min per side). Remove from pan, cool for 5 minutes then slice into strips.
In a large salad bowl, add the baby spinach. Top with the cherry tomatoes, passionfruit flesh and seeds, avocado, red onion, pomegranate seeds, olives and coriander.
Passionfruit Dressing
In a glass jar, add all the dressing ingredients. Secure the top, and shake vigorously to thoroughly blend. Shake the dressing thoroughly once more right before serving if not using straight away. To serve, drizzle the salad dressing over the salad and enjoy!
