Protein salad: 5 protein-rich recipes | MEN’S HEALTH

While the obligatory chicken with rice is on the diet of many strength athletes almost every day, vegetables – and especially salad – are often neglected. And that is problematic for two reasons: Firstly, it makes your diet monotonous and not very varied. And what about the micronutrients? Which brings us to the second problem: If your sports diet is too one-sided, there is a risk that you will not consume enough (sometimes vital) vitamins and minerals.

This means: There definitely needs to be more vegetables and salad on your plate. However, to ensure you get your daily protein requirements, you should make sure to use at least one protein-rich ingredient.

Is a protein salad good for building muscle?

Salad – no matter what kind – is made up of around 95 percent water, contains hardly any calories but fiber, which keeps your digestion in good shape. Combined with protein-rich salad ingredients such as tuna or turkey breast, this creates a healthy and balanced athlete’s meal that keeps you full for a long time without feeling heavy in your stomach. A protein salad is also ideal if you are “working” on your six-pack. Then you should have protein-rich low-carb dishes on your plate that reduce your body fat percentage without losing muscle mass.

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Protein (or its smallest components, the amino acids) is essential for your body: only with the help of amino acids can your muscle fibers thicken and your muscles grow. Proteins are also involved in many other processes in the body, including metabolism and the structure of organs, bones, cartilage, skin, hair and nails. Your body cannot produce some amino acids, the essential amino acids (EEAs), so you have to get them from your diet. You can read here which foods contain a lot of these EAAs.

By the way: A protein salad is of course also perfect for losing weight. Salad and vegetables fill the stomach thanks to their large volume and hardly provide any calories. At the same time, the protein-rich ingredients keep you full for a long time and boost your metabolism.

Construction kit: Ingredients for a protein salad

We’ll reveal which ingredients you can use to upgrade boring leaf or iceberg lettuce so that it turns into the finest muscle food. Select the ingredients of your choice from each of the five “building sets”:

1. Choose a type of lettuce as a base

Every good protein salad needs a base and that, of course, consists of greens. Here you are spoiled for choice: from spicy rocket to nutty lamb’s lettuce or a salad mix. The latter is also available in pre-portioned portions in every supermarket. Perfect for two servings, so there won’t be any leftovers.

Tool tip: If you want to take your salad with you to work, you should keep the dressing and ingredients separate from each other and mix them together on site. A smart salad box to-go is ideal for this. Nothing can get muddy or leak.

2. Supplement vegetables and legumes

The classics in mixed salads are definitely tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. But you can also get a little more creative and upgrade your fitness salad with beetroot, baked pumpkin, broccoli or sugar peas. Red onion should not be missing and gives your salad a pleasant seasoning.

Although vegetables are low in calories and fat-free, they unfortunately do not contain much protein. However, legumes such as kidney beans, lentils or chickpeas not only taste great in salads, they also provide plenty of vegetable protein and complex carbohydrates.

By the way: You can also leave out the greens from point 1 and instead choose vegetables and legumes as a salad base. A carb source, such as quinoa, is also a good choice for such a high-protein bowl.

3. Choose protein source

Since lettuce leaves and vegetables provide little protein, protein-rich ingredients should not be missing. Here are the best salad ingredients with lots of protein, plus: information for the correct portion size. Because a lot doesn’t always help a lot. Cheese provides a lot of protein, but too much cheese also has a lot of calories and fat. That’s why it’s important to always keep an eye on portion sizes. These 5 ingredients will turn your salad into a calorie bomb.

It’s best to use our clear table with the tastiest, protein-rich ingredients for your fitness salad:

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Tip: Nuts, kernels and seeds are not only ideal as a snack, they are also a great salad topping that provides extra protein. Of course, you can also combine several protein sources together, such as turkey with feta and pine nuts or, as in the sports classic: tuna with egg.

4. Mix your own salad dressing – don’t buy it!

Ready-made dressings from the supermarket are super practical, but unfortunately they are also hidden sugar bombs. But that’s not all: In addition to sugar – or glucose-fructose syrup – there are often lots of flavors and thickeners.

The little dressing sachets you can mix yourself aren’t much better either. Look at the back: The main ingredient is usually sugar. Additives and sugar have no place in a healthy salad, so simply make your own dressing in the future.

Here is a quick recipe (1-2 servings) for a quick and delicious balsamic honey mustard dressing:

• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1⁄2 tsp liquid honey
• 1⁄2 tsp mustard
• salt and pepper

5. Optional: supplement carbohydrate source

Salad alone doesn’t fill you up? Then it depends on the ingredients. Either add an additional portion of legumes, such as kidney beans, to your salad bowl or enrich the greens with healthy carbohydrates. The ideal ones are:

• Quinoa
• potatoes
• couscous
• bulgur
• rice

Recipes for protein-rich salad bowls

Enough theory, now comes practice – if you still need ideas for some delicious protein salads:

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Salad is neither boring nor low in nutrients – as long as you prepare it with delicious protein bombs. From now on, your muscles will not only be optimally supplied with protein, but also with lots of vitamins and minerals. This is how healthy sports nutrition works.

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