Timing Your Salad
Although the French are usually considered the masters of the art of cuisine, and both their recipes and food preparation techniques are emulated in fine dining establishments around the globe, there is one French dining ritual which has not made it to the US or the UK. The French typically eat a salad after their main course, as a way of cleansing their palates in anticipation of dessert.
But in the US, and other countries, the salad course is usually served at the beginning of a meal. Does it really matter when you eat your salad? Well, if you are concerned about you weight and your health, it just might.
Eating your salad before your main course will accomplish two things: the fiber in the salad, especially if it contains a good fiber source like chickpeas, will fill you up before you are confronted with a mouthwatering entrée and tempted to eat too much. And the crunchiness of the salads greens, fruits, vegetables, and nuts will force your to chew it thoroughly. In the process, you’ll slow down your rate of consumption, and your brain will have more time to recognize that food is available, and throttle back on the hunger signals.
Perhaps the best health benefit of eating you salad at the beginning of your meal, however, comes in the fact that a fresh salad is loaded with vitamins and minerals which haven’t been cooked or otherwise processed away. Far too many of us would eat neither vegetables nor fruits–and the recommended intake is five servings per day–were it not for our salads! Eating the salad first is a way to guarantee that we don’t fill up on far less nutrient-dense cooked proteins and refined carbs.
You can add an extra nutritional punch to your pre-meal salad by using an olive oil-based dressing. Olive oil is rich in the essential fatty acids which keep our arteries free of cholesterol buildup. Regardless of the dressing you choose, however, keep it to a minimum, and try not to load your salad with cheese. Both dressing and cheese can turn a light, healthy salad into a fat laden, artery-clogging mistake, defeating the purpose of eating it!
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