Eating a daily salad has been a personal development hack for my health for quite some time. I try to eat healthy in general, but I added in eating a salad every day at lunch to help me stay on track.
Since I do intermittent fasting, lunch is the first meal of the day for me. I decided that eating a salad would really boost my nutrition. With the ingredients I use, such as fresh veggies, salad dressing, beans and walnuts, it lets me pack the first meal of the day with vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Obviously, I believe in eating a great salad as part of a healthy diet and it’s not new or shocking nutrition advice. But, I think that eating a daily salad can be challenging so I wanted to write a post on how I tackle this so you can hopefully create the same habit.
Here’s how I handle a daily salad:
How To Create a Perfect Salad
The key to making a perfect salad is to experiment with variations you like. However, you need to make sure you have the basic parts of a salad that will hit all of your nutrition points. That means, look for ingredients that will add greens, fiber, and protein to your salad recipe.
Personally, I avoid adding grains to my salads so I keep it low-carb. You should add things to your salad that meet your nutritional needs and taste great.
I’ve experimented with a few different salad versions that I liked. Here’s the version I settled on:
1. Homemade Salad Dressing
The first thing I do is mix up a homemade dressing I created in the bowl I’m going to eat the salad from.
Here’s what you need to make this dressing:
- Olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Hummus (Optional lemon-flavored)
I chose these ingredients because olive are full of good fats, lemon juice helps with detox, and hummus is a protein. Each of these ingredients adds a lot of nutrients to the salad.
Once I add all of the fresh ingredients to the bowl, I stir them up until they form a paste. Then I add the lettuce of my choice to the bowl and mix it around until it’s all coated with the creamy dressing.
2. Spring Mix and Kale

I’ve tried a lot of different types of lettuce, but I like spring mix the best. It has a lot of lettuce variety which is nice. And I mix this with kale, which has a lot of crunch and texture.
3. Walnuts
On top of the lettuce, I add a handful of walnuts. These are also full of good fats and protein. Also, the walnuts add more crunch to my salad, which I really like.
4. Cannellini Beans
Beans are full of protein and fiber, which makes them a great option for salad. I’ve tried a lot of beans and settled on cannellini beans. They are a white bean that adds a creamy texture to my salad.
I’ve also added roasted chickpeas to my salad in the past. However, roasting chickpeas in my air fryer takes more time and adds a layer of complexity which I try to avoid. That’s why I choose cannellini beans over them…because all I have to do is open the can and add them in.
5. Feta Cheese

Feta cheese is another great source of protein and since it is a fermented food, it’s great for your gut health. Some people may prefer goat cheese, but I like to add this to my salad because of the flavor and creamy texture.
6. Diced Apples
The last thing I add to my salad is a diced apple. I like the sweetness and crunch it adds to the salad. Also, apples are full of fiber and vitamins. Fruit can be a great addition to any salad.
Eat The Same Salad Every Day
Sure, I think variety is important, but the reason I eat the same salad every day is to help me be consistent. I know exactly what I need to keep on hand and how to make it. It’s fast and simple this way, so I’m much more likely to stick with it.
The perfect salad I created for myself is really good and I enjoy eating it. It’s full of ingredients I like and it’s not boring to me. That’s not to say I never switch things up. Occasionally, I will fry an egg and throw it on top of my salad or chop up leftover chicken from the night before. But, the core salad recipe stays the same so I can make it quickly.
Key Takeaways
- Eating a daily salad is a great nutrition hack.
- Spend the time to create a healthy salad you actually enjoy.
- Stick with the same salad most of the time so you can stay consistent.