Some headlines you just have to click. I was browsing some health headlines this morning and saw an interview with Kristen Bell — star of the new movie When in Rome.
The headline I couldn’t resist clicking was this: “Kristen Bell’s diet secret? Garbage disposal salads.” You can read the full interview at Health.com if you’re curious… I certainly was!
Turns out a “garbage disposal salad” is one where you put everything you can find into a salad. Fruits, veggies, nuts, cheeses, what have you. Bell commented that with so many flavors, you didn’t need the salad dressing. That’s a pretty good trick if you ask me. I like the “accessories” more than the lettuce itself when it comes to salads — and with so many flavors involved, the dressing seems extraneous.
Plus, it’s a great way to boost the number of fruits and veggies you’re eating in a day! And protein, if you go for the nuts. And dairy, if you go for the cheese. All in all, that salad with the admittedly gross name sounds pretty good, healthwise.
The name reminds me of a family favorite — kitchen sink soup. That’s short for “everything BUT the kitchen sink”, mind you. My little Italian great-grandmother always used to make a huge pot of it for the holidays. Chicken broth with little meatballs and a TON of greens. Fennel, escarole, I don’t even remember everything that went in there.
Sometimes, the garbage disposal approach is a winner. Combining unusual ingredients can give you a fantastic new taste… and sometimes it can give you a funny story to tell your friends and family. But I think it’s important to experiment and have fun in the kitchen! The better variety in your diet, the better you might feel. If food is boring, you might find yourself turning to less healthy things for a more entertaining meal.