Salads that are good for you and really good for your gut!
A few years ago, I noticed a trend in wellness news headlines. “Salads are the queen of unhealthy food,” “Why salad is the worst thing you can order.” “3 reasons why you should never eat salad!”
These headlines were radical.
After all, weren’t we all raised to believe that salad was the healthy choice?
While these sensational salad headlines are eye-catching, there is only a grain of truth. Sure, some salads might not be the picture of health. But overall, salads are a great way to get fiber and polyphenols that are fantastic for your gut.
In this blog, I’ll explain why fiber is so critical for digestive health, what to do if you find that salads don’t agree with you, and show you how to make salads that are good for you (and your tastebuds, too!).
Fiber is the ultimate fuel for your good gut bacteria
Fiber is present in all plant foods—fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, grains, and beans. It is estimated that most of our ancestors ate around 100 grams of fiber per day, an impressive quantity that has slowly declined over the ages (1). Fast-forward to today and many of us struggle to get even 15 grams of fiber daily.
Your hunter-gatherer and agricultural ancestors were likely exposed to many more plants like starchy root vegetables, berries, wild leafy greens, and beans. However, you have to be pretty intentional to hit the current widespread recommendation of 25 grams of fiber daily. The refinement of grains and the removal of whole foods from the bulk of the commercial food supply make fiber a waning commodity.
Now, when I was a kid, I remember associating fiber with “old people.” My grandfather literally counted the number and types of nuts sprinkled on his cardboard looking cereal each morning. (For reference my grandfather is still alive and well at 101 years- go fiber!) Commercials for fiber cereals, prunes, and Metamucil, a well-known fiber supplement, also infiltrated the breaks between my midday cartoons. Metamucil's slogan was “If not nature, Metamucil.”
It didn’t take long for health experts to realize that our severe lack of fiber was affecting our health. As humans who evolved to eat 100 grams of fiber daily, our bodies begged for more.
Fiber is famously known as a solution for constipation—I think that's why 10-year-old me was easily embarrassed by the insinuation of the commercial’s 50-something-old (ha!) lady eating her fiber cereal.
Fiber is recommended for motility because of its profound effect on digestive health, specifically your gut microbiota.
But fiber does much more than improve transit time, and it’s important for everyone, regardless of age.
When you eat fibrous foods, the fiber passes undigested to your large intestine, where it is broken down and fermented by your gut bacteria. More fiber equals happier and more diverse gut microbes, which has wide-reaching health benefits.
Because fiber is the preferred food for your gut microbes, a diet lacking in fiber means a profound shift in the gut microbiota. In other words, your digestive health and whole body health will suffer. Many researchers believe that a lack of fiber is one factor behind the increasing rates of inflammatory and metabolic disease in our modern societies (2).
While all fiber benefits your gut ecosystem, certain fibers called prebiotics are hidden superfoods that specifically feed only beneficial microbes such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus.
You may recognize these names from your probiotic supplement. These are two genera of gut bacteria famous for their gut-supportive abilities, which is why they are frequently sold as probiotics.
Amping up your intake of prebiotic-rich foods can significantly increase these good microbes. This is especially helpful as we age, as populations of Bifidobacterium tend to decrease for those of us consuming Western-type diets.
My favorite fiber sources
Some of my favorite prebiotic-rich foods to include in salads are:
Sunchokes, aka Jerusalem artichokes
Thinly shredded leeks
Raspberries and blueberries
Asparagus
Onion
Dandelion greens (yes, the “weeds’” in your garden are a powerful prebiotic superfood!)
The benefits of fiber extend far beyond the digestive tract. Outcomes like improved metabolic and cardiovascular health and reduced depression are more reasons why fiber is so good for you (3).
Getting in more fiber might even help you live longer—a meta-analysis including over 900,000 participants found that death from all causes decreased by 11% for every 10 grams of fiber consumed each day (4)!!
The power of polyphenols
But there’s even more to love about fiber-rich plant foods!
They contain special types of plant chemicals called polyphenols.
You may have heard of polyphenols like resveratrol (in grapes and berries) and curcumin (in turmeric). But there are many, many more. More than 8,000 to be exact. Polyphenols are often headlined for their antioxidant-like effects, meaning they help neutralize free radicals that damage your cells and DNA.
But it gets even cooler—polyphenols regulate how your genes express, which is called epigenetics. Polyphenols urge your genes to turn off inflammation, prevent disease, and increase longevity (5, 6).
And when it comes to digestive health, polyphenols are superstars. If fiber is the ultimate fuel for your gut microbes, polyphenols are like candy for them. Those microscopic bugs love to gobble up polyphenols, using them to help make short-chain fatty acids, neurotransmitters, and hormones that make you feel fantastic (7).
Did I mention that you can only get polyphenols from plant foods? If you’re ready to see how you feel after increasing your fiber and polyphenol intake, I want to introduce you to my favorite health hack: salads that are good for you.
And, of course, delicious. Can anything compare to a crisp, refreshing salad on a hot summer’s day? Full of bright flavors and beautiful colors, a good salad is one of my all-time favorite things. *Chef’s kiss.*
But first, let’s address a common question I get from clients who are struggling with digestive health.
Won’t more fiber hurt my gut and lead to gas and bloating?
This is a common misconception that is not true for most people, even if you are struggling with a gut condition like IBS. In fact, most practitioners want their IBS clients to eat more fiber, not less (8).
But what works for one person may not work for you!
So, if you notice uncomfortable gut symptoms after eating fiber-rich food, it may be worth it to start keeping a food log to figure out exactly which foods are bothering you. After doing this, the next step is to support your digestive health and microbiome. Then, importantly, try reintroducing those high-fiber foods and see how you feel.
For some people, fiber might be a trigger because of something called dysbiosis.
Dysbiosis is an imbalance of gut bacteria (not enough good bacteria and too many opportunistic or pathogenic microbes). Dysbiosis can lead to symptoms like bad gas, bloating, constipation, or diarrhea. And for those with dysbiosis, certain fibrous foods can make these symptoms even worse.
The good news is that dysbiosis can be fixed! It usually involves incorporating specific fibers that are rich in prebiotics (the special fibers I mentioned above) to help bring your good gut bacteria back into balance.
The even better news: I help clients do this all the time.
Now, let’s talk about salads that are good for you
First, not all salads are created equal.
Chances are that if your salad experience has been limited to iceberg lettuce and ranch dressing, you have no idea how spectacularly diverse salads can be.
Don’t get me wrong—iceberg and ranch have a place. But there was a time in my life when they were synonymous with salad for me. I just didn’t know that other things could go in a salad.
The first time I had roasted beets and nuts in a salad, it rocked my world! I really felt like I had peaked as a foodie. That was years ago, and since then, my salad passion and knowledge have grown.
This is why I teach a Summer Salad Series, three classes to help you become a confident salad master. We will cover DIY dressings, building a solid salad base, and then learn unexpected (but drool-worthy) mix-ins and toppings.
Say goodbye to boring, blah salads for good!
Salads are such a fantastic and easy way to boost fiber and polyphenols that support digestive health, metabolism, longevity, and so much more.
Click here to sign up for the first class in my Summer Salad Series, beginning June 27th.
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