SALAD DAYS

Here are four basic salad recipes, and the benefits you’ll gain from eating each.

BODYBUILDER’S BASIC SALAD
Ingredients Use 4 cups spinach greens, 1 cup broccoli, 2 tomatoes, 1 onion and 5 or 6 mushrooms, cut up. Toss with 1⁄3 cup fat-free mayonnaise, mixed with 3 tablespoons imitation bacon bits and 1⁄3 cup fat-free Italian dressing.

Include up to three servings a day of this tasty medley in your diet. Besides offering fiber, vitamins and minerals, this salad might have other yet-to-be-discovered compounds that could support your quest for the best body possible.

BODYBUILDER’S BASIC SALAD STATS

DIETER’S CABBAGE SLAW
Ingredients This recipe calls for 5 cups shredded cabbage and 1⁄2 onion. Chop into fine pieces. Add 1⁄2 cup fat-free mayonnaise, 2 packets Equal, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 pickle. Salt and pepper for flavor.

An entire cup of cabbage yields a slim 20 calories. It also contains indoles, compounds that have been reported to help control estrogen. Estrogen can prevent the breakdown of bodyfat and cause the body to hold water. Onions contain quercetin, a bioflavonoid that reportedly extends fat-burning effects, along the lines of caffeine. As part of a low-fat, carb-controlled, high-protein diet, this salad helps fill you up. You can eat a lot of it, while restricting total calories.

DIETER’S CABBAGE SLAW SALAD STATS

RED POTATO AND MIXED VEGETABLE MEDLEY
Ingredients Cut five baked red potatoes into bite-size pieces. Drain and rinse one can of peas and one can of corn. Place the peas, corn and potatoes in a large bowl. Gently mix. In another bowl, combine 1⁄2 cup fat-free mayonnaise, 2 packets Equal, 1⁄4 cup vinegar, 1 teaspoon spicy mustard and 1 tablespoon Mrs. Dash seasoning. Stir into potato-veggie mixture.

Red spuds tend to break down slower than most other potatoes and should be a staple food for bodybuilders who want to remain lean as they build mass. Corn and peas are higher in fiber than most sources of complex carbohydrates. Fiber slows the speed at which carbohydrates hit the bloodstream. Slower-burning carbs can help bodybuilders stay anabolic, without triggering the deposition of bodyfat.

RED POTATO AND MIXED VEGETABLE MEDLEY SALAD STATS

POSTWORKOUT RICE AND RAISIN SALAD
Ingredients In a large bowl, combine 3 cups of instant cooked white rice, 2 tablespoons honey, 4 tablespoons sugar, 1⁄2 cup raisins, 1⁄2 cup plain yogurt and a pinch of cinnamon.

The high-carb mix in this salad breaks down into glucose — the most basic unit of carbohydrate — at breakneck speed. Rapidly replenishing glycogen stores is important posttraining, and high-glycemic (fast-digesting) carbs are the way to go. This quick-digesting dish is a strong stimulus for the release of insulin, the natural anabolic hormone that reverses muscle breakdown associated with training. Consume a cup of this mixture along with 40-50 grams of whey protein after training. This convenient posttraining meal will keep your body in an anabolic state.

POSTWORKOUT RICE AND RAISIN SALAD STATS