Longevity Salad Recipe

By Darria Gillespie, MD

I’ve always loved salads, but that’s because I throw in everything but the kitchen sink to make a colorful mix that’s both healthy and bursting with flavor. Add a delicious dressing, and you’ll find that you actually look forward to your salad.

I started calling this my "longevity salad" long ago to get my husband to eat it. Pretty much every part of it — the high fiber, good fats from the avocado, protein from the beans and sprouts, phytonutrients from the bright-colored veggies — together can help lower your RealAge.

The ingredients are suggestions. If there’s a fruit or vegetable that you love, put it in! The more color and variety, the better.

Time-saving tip: I don’t have time to wash and chop during the week. So, on weekends, I wash and prep as many veggies as possible and put them in glass containers. When it’s time to make my salad on a Tuesday night, it’s like having my own in-home salad bar. You can also buy pre-washed lettuce and pre-grated carrots. Let the grocery store do some of the work for you!

Ingredients

• Start with a base: spinach, romaine, iceberg lettuce, or try others like arugula and endive)
• Add your veggies:
  • Peppers (I love yellow, red and orange)
  • Tomatoes (try mini grape tomatoes or large heirloom ones)
  • Sugar snap peas or green peas
  • Avocado (pre-chopped avocado turns brown – this is one of the few things you have to chop fresh)
  • Sprouts
  • Beans (chickpeas, red beans)
  • Corn (canned is fine)
  • Carrots
  • Beets (canned is fine)
• Add a fruit
  • Small chopped apples, pears or grapes
  • Dried fruit is ok – but keep it small, since they’re usually full of sugar
• Add some crunch
  • A (small) serving of nuts
  • Water chestnuts
  • Mung bean sprouts
  • Jicama

Dressing
For store-bought dressings, your best bets are olive-oil based vinaigrettes. I tend to avoid kinds that are completely fat-free and instead go for a “light” version, which typically has about 30 percent of the calories of the full-fat version but still has more flavor than the fat-free. Kick up the flavor at home by mixing in some really good balsamic vinegar, mustard or even hummus.

Combine:

• ½ cup really good balsamic vinegar (my favorites are from the specialty food stores, and are a really thick vinegar)
• 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic (I buy the jars of minced garlic, in the refrigerator aisle)
• 1 tablespoon Dijonaisse mustard
• ¼ cup water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-2 tsp lemon juice to taste
• 1 teaspoon each of dried basil, oregano and parsley

Take the first steps to growing younger and healthier with the RealAge Test.