On A Diet? Turn Your Greens Into Meals With These Deliciously Healthy Grain Salad Recipes

Salads are a favourite with people on a diet. After all, they deliver a mixed punch of nutrition in a single bowl. Fresh vegetables and fruits contain essential vitamins and minerals that may be missing from our daily meals and this is why including them in your diet is a must for maintaining a healthy weight and a glowing skin. Moreover, salads are easy to fix and are delicious with lots of crunchy, fresh veggies and fruits in yummy salad dressings. But the one thing that makes salads unpopular is that they are not filling enough. You may have noticed that you tend to feel hungry sooner after eating salad for lunch. That happens due to the absence of carbohydrates from the meal. But there's a an easy fix for that- whole grains. What are whole grains you ask? Whole grain is defined as a grain of any cereal or pseudo-cereal containing the endosperm, germ, and bran, as opposed to refined grain that comprises only the endosperm. Whole grains contain fibre, fibre take the longest to digest. Because it takes a while to digest, it gives you the feeling of fullness. The more satiated you feel, the lesser is the urge to binge into anything fattening or greasy. This in turn helps boost your weight-loss diet. This is why nutritionists often tell you to up the good carbs in your diet. Eliminating carbohydrates from diet may not prove fruitful for many. In fact, it may even prove detrimental to your health as carbohydrate is one of the most crucial macronutrients required by your body. You can choose good carbohydrates over the refined ones instead. 

Also Read: Why Whole Grains Are Good For You? 7 Benefits To Look Out For!

Benefits Of Grain Salads

If you're on a diet and want to make a meal out of your salads, then you would be better off mixing some good carbs from whole grains with the greens. There are a number of healthy grains that go well in a salad and hence can be incorporated in your salad bowl without affecting your diet and weight loss goals. Grain salads have an advantage over regular salads, as they keep you satiated for longer, eliminating the need for you to snack more often. Moreover, you can make a meal out of these grain salads and can happily chow down on them, without any guilt.

Also Read: 11 Best Vegetarian Salad Recipes | Easy Vegetarian Salad Recipes

^{Diet-friendly grain salads keep you full for longer}

Here are some deliciously healthy grain salads that are easy-to-prepare and loaded with good carbs and the freshness of fruits and vegetables:

1. Coconut Lime Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is a superfood that is a dieter's preferred choice of grain, as it is rich in high-grade carbs from fibre as well as protein. This coconut lime quinoa salad is extremely flavourful and is also loaded with healthy fats from another superfood- coconut. The salad is light, yet filling and is guaranteed to save you from that afternoon slump that succeeds a heavy lunch.

(Also Read: Quinoa Nutrition: Here's Why You Should Include This Pseudo-Cereal In Your Daily Diet)

^{Quinoa is a superfood that is a dieter's preferred choice of grain}

2. Brown Rice Salad

Loaded with the crispy goodness and antioxidants from red and green bell peppers and the fibre from brown rice, this salad makes for a great work lunch or even a healthy dinner meal. This is one salad that you would want to make over and over again.

(Also Read: 9 Health Benefits of Switching to Brown Rice)

3. Amaranth Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh is a middle-eastern vegetarian salad that contains bulgar, which is a healthy grain. This gluten-free version of the tabbouleh replaces bulgar with amaranth (rajgira or ramdana), which is an incredibly healthy ancient food grain that is now back in vogue. Amaranth is rich in calcium, protein as well as fibre and can be cooked in several different ways. Try this salad recipe to give your body a healthy break.

Also Read: 10 Exotic Salads From Around The World

^{Amaranth is gluten-free and can be used to make nutritious diet-friendly salads}

4. Pearl Barley Salad

Pearl barley is a whole grain that is one of the most common forms of barley. It is slightly processed, but it cooks faster as compared to its other lesser processed forms. This pearl barley salad contains tomatoes and mint with pomegranate seeds and avocado in a lemon and olive oil dressing, and hence is a nutritious mix of fibre, good fats, and minerals and vitamins.

(Also Read: 5 Amazing Barley Water Benefits: Drink Up This Elixir to Good Health)

5. Barley And Red Rice Salad

Red rice is rich in anthocyanin content, which makes it great for fighting inflammation in the body. Additionally, the fibre content in red rice is much higher than even brown rice. Add to the mix some cooked barley, protein-rich kidney beans, corn, pomegranate and apricots in an olive oil, lemon and orange juice dressing, and you have a winner of a grain salad, that is both rich in high-quality carbs and other essential nutrients.

(Also Read: 11 Best Barley Recipes | Easy Barley Recipes)

^{Barley is an excellent superfood you can add to your diet}

6. Buckwheat Tabbouleh

This grainy and delish tabbouleh salad is made with the zest goodness of parsley, mint, cucumber, tomatoes and apples. This is fresh salad is super easy to put together and a stellar addition to any diet. You can prepare it for a light supper or pack it for office- this wholesome salad is sure to cheer you up anytime of the day. 

So amp up your salads this season to include some healthy grains in them and accelerate your weight loss journey.

Side-Effects Of Whole Grains

Make sure you practice moderation. Overconsumption of anything may do more harm than good. Excess intake of whole grains could also lead to gas problem, flatulence, bloating and weight-gain. If you are diabetic, you should consult your expert before making any major alteration to your diet. 

So amp up your salads this season to include some healthy grains in them and accelerate your weight loss journey.

(This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.)