--- title: 10 Tips for Sensational Salads description: Elevate your summer salads with creative tips and fresh ingredients. Discover Zone balance for a satisfying and flavorful meal. image: https://blog.zoneliving.com/hubfs/073023-10-Tips-for-Salads-Blog.jpg --- ##### Shop By Category - [ Best Seller ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/best-sellers) - [ Omega-3s ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/omega-3-fish-oil) - [ Polyphenols ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/polyphenols) - [ Zone Foods ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/zone-foods) - [ Blood Tests ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/blood-tests) - [ Supplements ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/supplements) - [ Books ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/books) - [ Skin Care ](https://zoneliving.com/collections/skin-care-1) - [ Metabolic Engineering ](https://zoneliving.com/collections/metabolic-engineering) - Best Seller [ Shop All ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/all) ##### Shop By Zone Food - [ Zone Muffins ](https://zoneliving.com/collections/zone-muffins) - [ Zone Pasta ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/zone-pasta) - [ Zone Shakes ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/zone-shakes) - [ Zone Bars ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/zone-nutrition-bars) - [ Olive Oil ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/olive-oil) [ Shop All ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/all) [![easy-to-make](https://blog.zoneliving.com/hubfs/Global_2023/easy-to-make.webp) ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/blogs/recipes) Easy-to-make recipes just for you. 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D | Creator of the Zone Diet # [10 Tips for Sensational Salads](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/10-tips-for-sensational-salads) - ** - [**](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.zoneliving.com%2Fzoneliving%2F10-tips-for-sensational-salads) - [**](https://www.twitter.com/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.zoneliving.com%2Fzoneliving%2F10-tips-for-sensational-salads) - [**](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/10-tips-for-sensational-salads) - [**](https://plus.google.com/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.zoneliving.com%2Fzoneliving%2F10-tips-for-sensational-salads) Written by Sue Knorr on August 07, 2023 Summer’s here with fresh fruits and vegetables available everywhere. Whether you decide to venture into new territory or stick with a tried-and-true favorite, you can’t beat a cool satisfying fresh summertime salad. Use these tips and your own unique creativity to take your salads to a new level. Keep Zone balance in mind. There’s no right or wrong way and no formal recipes are needed.     - Choose a base and a dressing to start. Then build on that with several more additions. Typical salad bases are greens, [Zone Pasta Rx](https://zoneliving.com/collections/zone-pasta), legumes, two or three cooked vegetables like yellow and green beans (think Three Bean Salad) or chopped raw vegetables such as cucumbers and tomato.   - Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, and your favorite spice combo for a quick dressing.   - Slice a garlic clove in half lengthwise and rub the inside of the salad bowl with it for more flavor.    - It’s fine to add tiny amounts of denser carbohydrates. Remember, a little goes a long way.    - Take care not to overwhelm your salad with too many ingredients or too much of any one ingredient.   - Look beyond the usual torn Romaine lettuce and the coleslaw combinations of shredded green cabbage and carrots. Try something new. I’m a huge fan of a chopped cabbage mixture I found recently. It’s particularly good with a tangy peanut dressing.         - Try adding fruit to a savory salad. Some of my favorite combinations are apples or grapes with chicken, blood oranges with chunks of baked salmon, and strawberries in baby spinach salads.   - For peak flavor serve something unique on the side that can be added to the salad as desired. Keep it to a condiment-sized portion to maintain Zone balance. - Try a lightly salted mixture of small chunks of heirloom tomatoes and ripe watermelon, some fresh edible flowers, or a spoonful of a purchased hot and spicy chili crunch condiment straight from the jar.   - Add some crunch with chopped celery, slivered almonds, chopped peanuts, or chopped macadamia nuts.  Black beans, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, and shredded low-fat cheeses are good choices for adding some substance. The cheese will also help with satiety.    **Putting it All Together  **  I like seasoned roasted garbanzo beans in a simple garden salad, with a ranch or a tahini dressing. It’s absolutely out of this world. Garbanzo beans are Zone friendly and quickly become the star of this salad. Add some protein on the side and a Zone friendly fruit for dessert to complete the meal. ### Popular stories [Easy Hearty And Healthy Chili Recipe](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/zone-living-newsletter-articles/easy-hearty-and-healthy-chili-recipe) Nov 01, 2013 [Milk and Milk Substitutes—What You Need to Know](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/zone-living-newsletter-articles/milk-many-types-liquid-nutrition) Apr 05, 2017 [Tasty Recipes in: The Mediterranean Zone](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/zone-living-newsletter-articles/tasty-recipes) Oct 03, 2014 ### Posts by Tags - [Zone Diet (59)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/zone-diet) - [Zone Living (48)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/zone-living) - [Recipes (45)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/recipes) - [Peak Performance (41)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/peak-performance) - [Omega-3 Fish Oil (35)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/omega-3-fish-oil) - [Healthy Eating (30)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/healthy-eating) - [Testimonial (24)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/testimonial) - [Dr. Barry Sears (20)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/dr-barry-sears) - [Healthy Aging (17)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/healthy-aging) - [Polyphenols (17)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/polyphenols) - [Weight Loss (16)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/weight-loss) - [Newsletter Article (15)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/newsletter-article) - [Holidays (14)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/holidays) - [Evidence-Based Wellness (10)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/evidence-based-wellness) - [Childhood Nutrition (9)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/childhood-nutrition) - [Restaurants (8)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/restaurants) - [Zone Cruise (5)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/zone-cruise) - [Food & Nutrition (2)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/food-nutrition) - [Pro-Resolution Nutrition (2)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/pro-resolution-nutrition) - [Exercise (1)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/exercise) - [Fittness (1)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/fittness) - [Fruits & Vegetables (1)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/fruits-vegetables) - [Inflammation (1)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/inflammation) - [Strength Training (1)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/strength-training) [See all](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/10-tips-for-sensational-salads#) ### Let Us Know What You Thought about this Post. 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