Experiment and get creative for more satisfying salads

Finding yourself in a salad rut can mean you end up not eating them altogether, which isn't ideal if you're looking for a healthy lunch option.

While a nutritious salad more often than not combines mixed greens and an assortment of other colourful vegetables, it doesn't have to end there.

Creative salad toppers can help make your salads not just healthy and balanced, but more satisfying, interesting and delicious too.

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds — including pistachios, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, almonds, peanuts and chia seeds — are highly nutritious salad toppings.

But they also give salads a more interesting texture, look and taste.

Just 28 grams of pumpkin seeds has five grams of protein and close to 20% of the Daily Value (DV) for zinc.

Or, adding just 22 almonds (28 grams) to a salad packs more than three grams of fibre, as well as a multitude of vitamins and minerals.

When choosing nuts or seeds to add to your salad, look for raw or dry-roasted varieties without added salt, sugar or preservatives.

Dried fruit

Salads and dried fruit are a delicious combination.

Using dried cranberries, apricots, mango or raisins as a salad topping is an easy way to add some sweetness along with various nutrients.

Did you know that just 28 grams of dried apricots has 20% of the DV for vitamin A, as well as two grams of fibre.

To avoid added sugars and preservatives, look for dried fruits that only have the fruit listed as an ingredient, and use sparingly to top off your salad.

Make your own

Prefer to know exactly what's in it and how it was prepared? Whipping up your own is pretty easy too.

1. Take a fruit of your choosing
2. Slicing fruit into thin pieces
3. Place them on a lined baking sheet
4. Bake at 121°C for two to three hours
5. Remove from the oven and cool

Fresh chopped fruit

Even though salads are typically thought of as a combination of vegetables, fresh fruit can be a delicious salad topping with added health benefits.

Throwing chopped fruit on a salad can completely change the taste and texture of any salad.

Try unusual combinations and you might be surprised.

We love sliced fig, pomegranate kernels, apple pieces and honeydew melon — anything goes.

One study in more than 800 adults found that each piece of fruit consumed per day was associated with a 10% reduction in heart disease risk.

Popular fruits to add to your salad include berries, apples, oranges and cherries.

You can also try using blended fruit or freshly squeezed fruit juice for homemade salad dressings.