DIY Kim Kardashian Salad
Every time I flip on KUWTK the girls are always munching on a big green salad in a giant plastic bowl. This is clearly a staple in their diets so I had to do some investigation and crack the code on what exactly goes into these mysterious bowls.
The Anatomy of a Kardashian Salad
According to Kim’s trainer, Melissa Alcantara, Kim has adopted a lower carb diet lifestyle filled with non starchy vegetables, lean protein, healthy fats and a little bit of complex carbs (sweet potatoes, quinoa, etc.). Kim stays away from preservatives as much as possible, so its safe to say she passes on the croutons and opts for a very simple, minimal ingredient dressing.
DIY KIM K SALAD
Based on the investigations (AKA religiously watching KUWTK) and my own nutrition advice here is my interpretation of a Kimmy K salad.
STEP 1:
Get out a small-medium sized mixing bowl (yes, a mixing bowl)
Why is this important?
Non-starchy vegetables like the list below are not only super low calorie and vitamin rich, but they have a ton of water and fiber keeping you full for hours. By using a bigger bowl you have more space to load up on as many non-starchy veggies as you’d like so that you aren’t hungry again within an hour or 2.
STEP 2:
2. Load up on the non starchy vegetables ( I like to choose 4-5 from the options below)
Non starchy vegetables include:
· Artichoke
· Artichoke hearts
· Asparagus
· Baby corn
· Bamboo shoots
· Beans (green, wax, Italian)
· Bean sprouts
· Beets
· Brussels sprouts
· Broccoli
· Cabbage (green, bok choy, Chinese)
· Carrots
· Cauliflower
· Celery
· Peppers
· Radishes
· Rutabaga
· Salad greens (chicory, endive, escarole, lettuce, romaine, spinach, arugula, radicchio, watercress)
· Sprouts
· Squash (cushaw, summer, crookneck, spaghetti, zucchini)
· Sugar snap peas
· Swiss chard
· Tomato
· Turnips
· Water chestnuts
· Yard-long beans
STEP 3:
Add in ½ cup of a Starch or Grain from below (feel free to mix and match)
Kim doesn’t completely abstain from carbs. Her workouts are intense consisting of 90 minutes of heavy weight lifting and sometimes-high intensity intervals 6 days/week. Good carbs like the ones below help to replenish your energy and have a role in building long, lean, toned muscle.
½ cup of:
· Parsnip
· Plantain
· Potato
· Pumpkin
· Acorn squash
· Butternut squash
· Green Peas
· Corn
· Brown or white Rice
· Farro / Emmer
· Barley
· Couscous
· Wild Rice
· Freekeh
· Quinoa
STEP 4:
Toss in 4-6oz. of lean protein:
Beef: preferably grass-fed, grass finished and lean options include round, sirloin, flank ,tenderloin
Poultry: pasture raised is best - Chicken, turkey
Fish: wild caught is the way to go- tuna, salmon, cod, mahi mahi, halibut, trout.
Vegan options:
· Beans such as black, kidney, and pinto
· Hummus and falafel
· Lentils
· Peas such as black-eyed or split peas
· Edamame
· Tempeh, tofu
STEP 5:
Choose a dressing
This is a great place to add in those healthy fats. Remember, the less ingredients the better—so keep it simple.
- 1 tbsp. olive oil with ½ tbsp. vinegar
- My FAVE lemon tahini dressing
STEP 6:
Mix/Chop it up
- Mix it all up, or better yet get yourself THIS salad chopper and pretend like you’re at a fancy salad bar.
