How Do You Pack a Salad for Lunch and Keep it Fresh

November 24, 2020

Any lunch foodie will find this crunchy, vegetable-filled salad quite aPEAsing. Joking aside, this is the solution to no more soggy salads for lunch. This salad can take the dressing!

How Do You Pack a Salad for Lunch?

Many times you go to eat the salad you packed for lunch and it’s turned into a soggy mess. I got smart and put my salad dressing in a different container. But, then there are two containers to remember to pack. Argh! There’s so little time in the morning. How do you pack a salad for lunch that won’t be soggy by noon?

Is it Healthy to Eat Salad for Lunch?

You probably already know how important it is to eat more vegetables. It’s associated with many health outcomes: reduced risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and more. But, since leafy greens can get soggy in your lunch bag you may NOT reaching for vegetables as often as you should. Lettuce on a sandwich is a melted mess by noon. Don’t even get me started on what my leafy green salad looks like after a morning in the container. Let’s bring salad back to the lunch box!

4 Ways You Can Find Healthier Produce

Navigating through the produce section can be a challenge. Never fear, science is here! (Yes, that’s me waving my geek flag again). Knowing how is the start to living a healthier, better life. Here are 4 ways you can eat better and ‘cleaner’ despite declining nutrient values in food.

1. Go Wild

According to Jo Robinson, author of Eating on the Wild Side: The Missing Link to Optimum Health, dandelions, which were traditional part of Native American spring diets, contain 7 times more phytonutrients than spinach. Yet, many of us consider spinach one of the ultimate ‘superfoods’! Do we have it all wrong?Robinson notes that we should re-consider vegetables long forgotten. For example scallions, or green onions, have more than five times more phytonutrients than many common onions – the green ends being the most nutritious. Pick foods from the wild, or grow them in your own yard. Also, you can include herbs and spices in your diet. Herbs and spices they have been relatively unchanged by modern agriculture.

2. Eat Bright

Seek out produce with shades that are richer or darker than the conventional produce. Look for dark purples, reds and greens in the produce aisle. Why not give purple carrots, rainbow chard or blood oranges a try? You may also try seeking out bitter tasting produce, such as broccoli or turnip greens as many of the most nutritious nutrients are bitter tasting, and it may help steer your palate away from sweets.

3. Choose Organic

Choosing organic produce also increases the nutrient content of your produce. According to a meta-analysis based on 343 peer-reviewed publications, there is significant difference between organic and conventionally grown crops. The study published in the British Journal of Nutrition notes the concentration of a range of antioxidants were substantially higher in organic crops, with phenolic acids, flavanones, stilbenes, flavones, flavonols and anthocyanins being an estimated 19% higher. In addition, pesticide residues and the toxic metal cadmium were found to be four times higher in conventional crops. And, don’t forget whenever possible go for non-GMO too!

4. Buy Local

Buying local produce helps reduce nutrient loss that occurs after harvest. Once a crop is picked it begins to breakdown and lose nutrients. Local produce requires less transit time from farm to fork helping boost nutrient content.

Best Lunch for the Work Day

Having a rainbow of colours means it contains a wide variety of nutrients: vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Love these nutrients! They are tasty and energizing. Plus, they boost my cognition for an afternoon by the keyboard and may even fight the wrinkles forming when my forehead creases into that “I’m concentrating” look. Filled with beans and peas it offers a great protein punch to help get you through the afternoon without reaching for that box of donuts brought in for the meeting.

Meal Prep: Salads

Make a salad with crunchy vegetables that can stand up to dressing. Missing some of these ingredients – never fear! I’ve made this salad for lunch many times using various crunchy vegetables and it turns out great. Alternatively, if you highly despise one of these ingredients, leave it out. Want to switch it up? We've got a whole bunch of great healthy salad dressing recipes ready to inspire you to eat more vegetables.

Crunchy Carrot Salad

Recipe: Crunchy Lunchbox Salad

Ingredients:

1 chopped yellow bell pepper

1 cup cooked and cooled edamame beans

1/2 cup cooked green peas

1 large handful of green beans

1 cup of chopped red cabbage

1 carrot, shaved or diced into chopsticks

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix all of these delicious vegetables, pea and beans together. For the dressing, mix together a 1/2 cup of avocado oil with a splash of lemon juice, maple syrup and sesame oil. Add in some freshly grated ginger and crushed garlic. Add a tablespoon of miso paste and stir well until blended. Ideally, make the dressing a head of time – it tastes better when it’s had time to sit and meld together.

How Do You Pack a Salad for Lunch and Keep it Fresh