Before you continue… You really need to see THIS if you have diabetes

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The End of Diabetes: The Eat to Live Plan to Prevent and Reverse Diabetes

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The American Heart Association recommends 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day from a variety of natural food sources. If you’re looking for more ideas on how to achieve this fiber intake recommendation, here are salad recipes you can incorporate into your meal plans. All of these are easy to make; food preparation doesn’t have to be complicated to be healthy.

Avocado Tomato Cucumber Salad

Perfect for warm summer days, this creamy salad uses fiber-rich cucumber, tomatoes, and avocado as the main ingredients. Adding cheese slices will enhance the flavor but optional. The simple dressing can be readily made with red wine, lemon, or apple cider.

Baby Kale Avocado Salad

With the number of vitamins and minerals you benefit from a serving of kale, you’d agree why this vegetable deserves its popularity in different dishes. Another good thing about kale is that it can be consumed without much preparation. For instance, in this recipe, all you have to do is toss it with other ingredients, top it with any vinaigrette or low-carb dressing, and it’s good to go.

Photo credit: Jennifer Shun

Spring Salad with Rosemary Vinaigrette

With this recipe, you’ll enjoy “crisp, buttery greens mixed with thyme-infused beans, savory mushrooms and tangy cheddar.” You may have to saute the beans and mushrooms but a few more minutes in the kitchen can go a long way in terms of taste and nutrition.

Photo credit: Sarah Severance

Paradise Poke Bowl

Perfect for solo lunches or dinners, this recipe is a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. With spinach, avocado, edamame, cabbage, and green onion in the same bowl, you’re assured that you’re having a highly nutritious treat. Seeing all those shades of green can be stress-relieving too.

Photo credit: Laura Miner

Cannellini Bean Salad

This may not be a green salad, but the Mediterranean-inspired flavors of this bean recipe are simple but delicious. “It’s got creamy white beans, juicy tomatoes, bright herbs, rich olive oil, and just the right amount of acid from the red wine vinegar,” describes Laura. That’s a lot to say for a dish which can be prepared in five minutes!

What favorite salad do you regularly prepare at home? We would love to read them in the comments!