Is Caprese Salad Healthy?
Caprese Salad is in around 2.73% of all restaurant menus. People are curious about Caprese salad because of its health advantages. So, if you ask, “Is Caprese salad healthy?”, the answer is, YES, it is!
We aren’t passing a verdict with just the user’s reviews, but we have researched to determine that Caprese is good for the heart and body. We’ll tell you more about it further in this article. It’s an easy-to-make dish that’s comprised of only a few ingredients.
You have the choice to eat Caprese salad either as an appetizer, a light lunch, or a side dish with your dinner. If health is your priority and you have the vision to eat nothing else but only the dishes made out of healthy ingredients, then Caprese is your go-to option.
Read more to learn about the healthy side of Caprese salad, and how you can make it exactly as you have tasted at one or more restaurants.
What is Caprese Salad?
What is Caprese? How is it a salad? Caprese is an Italian salad. You just need three fresh ingredients to get your bowl of salad ready. You’ll need ripe red tomatoes, a handful of basil leaves, and fresh mozzarella. You can add virgin olive oil for added taste, but you won’t regret the taste even without it.
Caprese isn’t limited to just salad but is also loved in pasta, pizza, and sandwich. This Italian salad got its name from the Island of Capri. It’s believed that the dish originated on that Island and is now loved by people worldwide.
You also get to add variations to this dish to satisfy your taste buds along with health considerations. Prefer to have chicken Caprese salad, bacon salad, fruit Caprese and much more, depending on your food creativity.
Caprese Salad Health Benefits
The general method of preparing Caprese salad involves tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil leaves. People at restaurants might use more variations of ingredients in their salad, but these three prime ingredients should be included in the dish to call it Caprese.
The health benefits of Caprese salad are hidden in these three ingredients. So, here’s an ingredient-wise health benefit that you would get on habitually consuming Caprese salad:
Benefits from Tomato
Tomatoes are accountable as a healthy source of vitamins. They help your body meet the daily intake of Vitamin C. Additionally, tomatoes are also rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin K, and potassium. The antioxidants in tomatoes will help you prevent adverse health conditions such as prostate cancer, cervical cancer, stomach cancer, and other such conditions.
Lycopene in tomatoes is responsible for giving them a ripe red color. And this natural substance in tomatoes will help improve your eye and heart health. Vitamin A in tomatoes will help your body defend against lung cancer and improve your vision. Additional nutrients in tomatoes will improve digestion, skin health, hair, bones, and teeth.
Benefits from Mozzarella
Mozzarella is a dairy product with calcium that protects your body from breast cancer and supports weight loss. Mozzarella will help strengthen your bone structure and tooth enamel as a key benefit. In addition, you’ll also have healthy skin and muscle maintenance. Mozzarella cheese is rich in protein which will help keep you energized.
Beyond that, this cheese is also rich in potassium, chloride, iron, and sodium. One serving of Mozzarella can meet around 18% of your daily calcium needs. It also consists of phosphorus, an essential mineral for your body to absorb calcium.
Benefits from Basil
Basil is rich in essential oils, vitamins, and antioxidants. Fresh basil is recommended in Caprese salad because the dried ones lose key nutrients. The vitamins, oils, and antioxidants will help your body fight cancer, arthritis, heart disease, and diabetes.
Basil is highly used as a herbal remedy in most parts of the world. The oils defend against bacterial growth, such as viruses, molds, and yeast. Moreover, studies have proven that it helps the body adapt to all sorts of aggravated tensions.
How to Prepare a Caprese Salad?
You need 10 minutes of your time to prepare this amazing Italian salad. Follow the steps below to get your snack, appetizer, or side dish ready in no time:
Ingredients for 4 to 6 Servings
- 20 to 30 fresh basil leaves or one bunch
- Three ripe tomatoes (Cut into 1/4 inch slices)
- Coarse salt and pepper (As per taste preference)
- Extra-virgin olive oil (For drizzling over the salad)
- 1 pound of fresh mozzarella (Cut into ¼-inch slices)
Preparation:
Take a bowl or a serving plate and alternately layer the tomato and mozzarella slices. Add basil leaves between the tomato and mozzarella slices. Now, drizzle the extra-virgin olive oil on your salad plate and then season it with salt & pepper as per your taste preferences. Your Caprese salad is ready!
You can also add slimming sugar to sweeten the dish without adding fat-prone calories and promote weight loss. You may ask, “What is slimming sugar? It’s an artificial sweetener made up of sucralose, which has zero calories and is made by a chemical process.
Is Caprese Salad Good for Weight Loss?
In general, Caprese salad is a high-calorie dish that’s full of fats and energy. So, as a whole, it might not contribute towards proper weight loss but can keep you full so that you don’t consume other sources of excessive fats and weight-gaining calories.
Mozzarella is one of the three ingredients in a Caprese salad that supports weight loss. But you need to increase the quantity of one ingredient over the others to ensure that the whole Caprese salad becomes a low-calorie and low-energy dish.
You can also check if oatmilk is good for weight loss.
FAQs
Is Tomato and Mozzarella Healthy?
Yes, tomato and mozzarella are healthy ingredients to be included in any snack. Tomato has a leading advantage in helping you with good heart health. Mozzarella, on the other hand, will help you with weight loss, bone strength, and high energy.
How Many Calories Is in a Caprese?
A cup of Caprese salad weighing 161 grams or one serving will have around 220 calories. The fat calories in it are around 151.
How Much Fat Is in Caprese Salad?
In one serving or 161 grams of Caprese salad, you’ll have around 26% or 17 grams of fat. This isn’t bad for a meal.
Is Caprese Salad Anti-Inflammatory?
Yes, Caprese salad is partially anti-inflammatory because of basil. Basil is the key ingredient of a Caprese salad, and it adds anti-inflammatory properties to the dish. The essential oils in basil are responsible for helping you prevent skin, liver, oral, and lung cancer.
Conclusion
If you’re keen on consuming a healthy diet, then a Caprese salad should be your common dish on the everyday list. We have listed the benefits that your body will avail of the nutrient-rich ingredients in this dish.
We’re sure that after reading this article, you already imagine the deliciousness of this Italian dish. Add it to your breakfast, lunch, or dinner routine, and you might help yourself and your family takes a leap toward living a healthy life.
To ensure that all of the nutrients are absorbed by your body, you can try our product Optima Healthy Gut Solution. It can be an absorption supplement to help you with the purpose. Not just that, it also reduces inflammation, improves digestive health, and energizes your body.
You can also check the blog post about foods that increase thigh size.
