Healthy Avocado Chicken Salad

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Who says that healthy salads can't be tasty and satisfying?

Healthy Chicken Avocado Salad

This healthy, delicious chicken and avocado salad is packed with protein, good fat, fiber, vitamins, minerals, trace elements, plant compounds and antioxidants. It's extremely very low in sugar and salt (Less than 1%). 

Benefits of the Chicken Avocado Salad

• Great tasting
• Easy customization according to anyone's taste
• Requires very little preparation and clean up
• Short preparation time
• High in protein
• Low in sugar and salt
• High in micro nutrients like vitamins, minerals and antioxidants
• Lots of fiber to keep you fuller for longer

How to make the chicken and avocado salad

Add a full portion of cooked chicken to diced avocado. Toss in some lettuce, spinach or another leafy green for added nutrition. Spice with garlic, chili, pepper, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar and you're ready to go. Every ingredient in this salad is a super food.

How much chicken or avocado do I add to the salad?

This is up to you. You can add as much chicken or avocado as you want. I add extra chicken to my salad when I have been working hard at the gym for the added protein. Make enough of the salad to keep you full. If you don't have enough, you will crave more food afterwards. This could make you eat something that is unhealthy.

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Do I need to add lettuce, spinach, chili powder, black pepper and lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to the salad?

In reality, you don't. All of the extra ingredients, though, have so many health benefits (which I will focus on in a minute). Play around with these ingredients until you find the perfect combination for your own taste buds.

It is better to use these ingredients instead of salad dressings and sauces. Condiments are high in sugar, salt, preservatives, artificial flavors and colors, flavor enhancers and other unhealthy ingredients that are commonly found processed food. Did you know that there is more sugar in ketchup (tomato sauce) than there are actual tomatoes?

Can I use balsamic vinegar or white vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar?

You most certainly can. Any vinegar that you prefer will do. I like apple cider vinegar because of its known health benefits (more on that below).

Can I use frozen chicken in my salad or should I cook it fresh every time?

I'm all for convenience. To that end, I cook a week's worth of chicken at a time and freeze it all up. To make a chicken salad I simply defrost a bunch of chicken (depending on how many people I am feeding or how hungry I am) and break it into smaller pieces. You can pull it apart or cut it up with a knife.

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Will eating this chicken and avocado salad help me to lose weight?

This is one of the best meals you can eat to lose weight. It is unprocessed, low in sugar and has no refined carbohydrates. One good meal is not good enough for weight loss. You need to make the rest of your diet just as healthy. Eat healthy at every meal and follow a good weight loss exercise program.

Healthy benefits of the avocado chicken salad

Here are the health benefits of each ingredient. I hope that this inspires you to eat healthier every day.

Health benefits of Avocado

Nutrients in avocado

• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin K
• Vitamin B-6
• Riboflavin
• Niacin
• Folate
• Pantothenic Acid
• Magnesium
• Potassium
• Lutein
• Beta-Carotene
• Omega 3

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Avocados are good for your heart and blood sugar

The healthy fats in avocados carry the nutrients listed above. They are good for your heart and keep you satiated for long before you need to eat again. These fats help to stabilize blood sugar. Beta-sitosterol, a nutrient also found in avocados, assists in maintaining healthy cholesterol levels.

Avocados can improve eyesight

Avocados contain lutein and zeaxanthin. These two antioxidants are essential to eye health. Lutein and zeaxanthin are present in your eyes all of the time and low levels of these nutrients lead to optical degeneration. They prevent oxidation within the eye and protect against ultraviolet damage.

Avocados help to prevent depression

The folate in avocados helps to prevent depression because they regulate homo-cysteine. Homo-cysteine, if left unchecked, can reduce the amount of nutrients that enter into the brain. Too much homo-cysteine decreases pro-brain hormone production. 

The hormones that risk being hampered by too much homo-cysteine include dopamine and serotonin. Depression is often caused by a lack of those hormones.

Avocados for strong bones and joints

The Vitamin K in avocados helps with bone formation and bone density because it increases calcium absorption. It also decreases the amount of calcium that is excreted by your urinary track. Saponins, another nutrient found in avocados, may help with osteoporosis in joints.

Learn more about the benefits of avocados.

Health benefits of chicken

Nutrients in chicken

• Protein
• Calcium
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Phosphorus
• Potassium
• Vitamin A (alpha carotene, beta carotene, lycopene and retinal)
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin B
• Niacin

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Chicken boosts your immune system

The nutrients found in chicken are extremely beneficial for the immune system. It is thought that the high antioxidant content of chicken soup, for example, explains why so many people feel better when they have a bowl during times of illness. Chicken strengthens the cells of your immune system. The nutrients that benefit the immune system in chicken include protein, iron, magnesium and calcium.

Chicken is good for heart health

Those with a Vitamin B 6 deficiency are at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Increase your intake of this vitamin to drastically improve your heart health. 4 ounces of chicken breast meat gives you 40% of your daily recommended intake of Vitamin B 6. Niacin, found in chicken, improves good cholesterol levels. The iron, magnesium and phosphorus in chicken are also important for a healthy heart.

Chicken is good for weight loss

Chicken consists of more than 63% water, more than 28% protein and around 9 grams of fat (and 0% carbohydrates). This food is an absolute staple for people who want to lose weight. Protein can eliminate hunger and boost your metabolism. It costs more energy for your body to break down protein than it does to break down simple or refined carbohydrates.

Chicken may improve eyesight

Eyes need the alpha carotene, beta carotene, retinal and lycopene (which are different forms of Vitamin A) found in chicken to maintain their function. These nutrients protect the surface of your eyes (known as the corneas) and prevent damage that could lead to dry eyes, night blindness, degeneration and cataracts.

Chicken is beneficial to people who have anemia

Iron and Vitamins A, E and K help to prevent anemia. These nutrients do so by protecting red blood cells and assisting with the production of new red blood cells. Nutrient deficiency is often the cause of low red blood cell counts. Chicken is rich in these nutrients (including Vitamin K).

Read more about the benefits of chicken.

Health benefits of lettuce

Lettuce is high in fiber. It is made up of over 90% water. This makes it a fantastic food item if you want to fill yourself up without piling on the calories. Even still, lettuce has a large variety of nutrients that your body needs. Here are some of them:

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an antioxidant that supports recovery. It is used to make collagen in the skin and is used in many beauty or skin care complexes for this reason. Bruises that don't heal, for example, can be a tell-tale sign of a Vitamin C deficiency.

Vitamin B 1

Thiamine, or Vitamin B 1, turns nutrients into energy. Every cell in your body needs it to function properly. Low B levels can cause a lack of concentration and constant fatigue.

Vitamin B 2

Riboflavin, or Vitamin B 2, helps the body to grow and develop. Our bodies are always growing new cells to replace old ones. Riboflavin is just as important for adults as it is for children.

Vitamin B 3

Niacin, or Vitamin B 3, controls cholesterol and helps to prevent arthritis in the joints and the bones. Our brains need Niacin for concentration and learning.

Vitamin B 5

Pantothenic acid, or Vitamin B 5, is used to create nutrients. You need it to create fats, proteins and carbohydrates.

Vitamin B 6

Pyridoxine, or Vitamin B 6, forms the neurotransmitter serotonin. B 6 protects the central nervous system from damage.

Vitamin B 9

Folate, or Vitamin B 9, creates red blood cells. It is also needed in the production of DNA.

Choline

It is essential for the production of energy. Choline is also needed for healthy cell walls in every part of your body.

Betaine

Betaine Metabolizes homo-cysteine - which is needed for eye, blood, heart, bone and brain function.

Retinal

Retinal is a form of Vitamin A that has is used for immunity, eye function and healthy growth.

Beta Carotene

This is another form of Vitamin A. It promotes good skin. Beta Carotene is also needed for healthy eyes, immunity, bones and your mucus membranes.

Lutein and Zeaxanthin

These are two powerful antioxidants that are often found together. Lutein and zeaxanthin protect cells from damage. They prevent eye degeneration, for example.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an antioxidant. It is known for its healing effects on the skin and its ability to cleanse tissues of toxins. It also improves nerve function. 

Vitamin K

Your body needs vitamin K to form bones, regulate calcium and clot blood.

Lettuce also contains the following minerals:

• Calcium
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Phosphorus
• Potassium
• Sodium
• Zinc
• Copper
• Manganese
• Selenium

If you'd like a brief overview of why your body needs these minerals (or to read more about the benefits of lettuce), see my post dedicated to lettuce here.

Health benefits of the other ingredients

I had to cut the section short because the post was getting too long. Luckily, you can still discover why all of the ingredients in the avocado chicken salad are healthy.

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Spinach

Spinach is my favorite super food in terms of nutrient content. See all of its benefits here.

Garlic

Garlic is fantastic because it makes for a great alternative to salt. Low-sodium food does not have to be bland food, thanks to garlic. Learn more about the healthy power of garlic.

Chili powder (or chili seeds)

Using chili powder (or whole chilies) instead of sodium is another great way to add flavor. I use chili powders to spice up food that I don't particularly enjoy. Chili powder is great for people who want to lose weight or burn fat because it speeds up the metabolism. Read more about the benefits of chili here.

Black pepper

Black pepper's benefits are similar to those of chili powder of hot peppers. You can use one or both of them on your healthy avocado chicken salad. This is why black pepper is so healthy.

Lemon juice

Lemon juice might give you more energy than coffee first thing in the morning. I am not the only person who has felt the energy-boosting effects of lemon water. Lemon juice cleans out the kidneys and the liver so that they can focus on other important functions.

A healthy squeeze of lemon juice is a much healthier option than adding dressings or sauces to your avocado chicken salad. Processed condiments contain too much sugar, artificial ingredients and preservatives. Lemon juice is tasty enough to give your salad a good tang without destroying your health goals in the process. Here are the benefits of lemon juice.

If you can't use fresh lemons, it is okay to use the bottled version instead. Fresh is better, but store-bought lemon juice still carries numerous health benefits.

Apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is great for adding flavor and moisture to your healthy avocado chicken salad if you don't want to use lemon juice. Apple cider vinegar used to be all the rage a few years back, just before coconut oil took over the scene.

It might not be the 'in thing' anymore, but adding a few spoons of this healthful ingredient will do wonders for your health in the long run. This is why apple cider vinegar is so good for you.

Did you enjoy this article about a healthy food option? Should I write another article about easy, healthy dishes? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Stay Strong!

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