When it comes to weight loss, managing your diet is about 80 percent of the battle, with physical activity being the other 20 percent. It goes without saying that regular exercise is beneficial for both physical and mental health. However, without the proper nutrients, the body can’t perform at its full potential. This can also be a detriment during the recovery process. That’s why it’s important to build healthy meals that leave you full but also energized. And just because a meal is as categorized as "healthy" doesn’t mean it can’t taste good.
TikToker Amy (@nourishandthriveamy) is a recovering food addict who has been able to maintain her 100-pound weight loss by making “giant” dinners in the form of salads. As part of her recovery journey, Amy said she’s eliminated sugar and flour from her diet altogether, and instead focuses on creating massive salads with plant-rich foods.
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“When I say giant, I really mean giant,” Amy teased in a TikTok video. “This bowl is not for my entire family. It’s just my serving."
In the clip, Amy shows her 41,500 followers how she builds her homemade “giant” salads using simple, healthy ingredients.
“I start with about five ounces of spring mix. It’s just a huge variety of healthy lettuce greens that help cover a lot of nutrients that are so good for me,” she explained while adding three generous handfuls of leafy greens to her large salad bowl. Typically, spring mix includes baby lettuce, spinach, arugula, romaine, radicchio, and red and green oak leaf lettuce.
She then adds 10 ounces of veggies, including chopped tomatoes and cucumbers. As for her protein, Amy adds a four-ounce scoop of hummus and an ounce of shredded mozzarella cheese. Amy’s favorite cheese to use for salads is feta, but until her next trip to the grocery store, she had to get creative, she explained.
“Next, I add kalamata olives. I also add some of the olive juice just for a little bit of moisture and flavor,” she continued. Aside from a dash of pepper and salt, she adds, “any other seasonings I feel for that night.”
While Amy refrains from salad dressing, she has been dabbling with balsamic vinegar recently.
@nourishandthriveamy I’m a food addict in recovery and here is my GIANT salad that I eat to maintain my 100 lb weight loss! #healthyeating #healthy #noflour #nosugar #noaddedsugar #foodaddict #weightlossinspo #weightlossmaintenance #100poundsdown #100lbsdown #bedrecoveryjourney #healing #weightlosscheck #100lbsdown #nosugar #noflour #wholefood #weightlosstransformation #bingeedrecovery #bedrecoveryjourney #foodaddiction #recoveringfoodaddict #foodaddictionrecovery
“Prior to cutting sugar and flour, I never liked balsamic vinegar,” she said. “But adding balsamic to my salads gives it the best flavor, especially when it’s mixed with the hummus.”
Like many, Amy said she used to despise salads. “I felt like I needed something heartier,” she explained, adding, “I wasn’t a salad girl.” However, all it took was a little experimentation in the kitchen for Amy to change her mind.
“Then I just realized I was doing salads all wrong. I used to like a tiny bit of lettuce with tons of salad dressing. Now my salad is so good it is a giant bowl packed with nutrients that keep me full until the next morning,” she said of her favorite dinner.
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More than 315,000 pairs of eyeballs have viewed Amy’s TikTok video, with many followers saying “giant” salads have also aided their weight loss journeys as well.
“The daily mega salad is the only way I’ve ever lost weight!!” wrote one user.
“I blend strawberries with balsamic for a dressing,” offered another to which another person said they mix “spicy, chunky salsa, Greek yogurt, and pickled onions” as a homemade dressing.
Several others also suggested adding chicken, marinated tofu, or tuna for extra protein.
