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What a Nutritionist Thinks of "The Jennifer Aniston Salad"

Recently a client asked me about “the Jennifer Aniston Salad”, so I did a little digging. One source claimed she ate this salad every single day while filming Friends. While that's likely a rumor, anyone eating the same thing everyday could use some more variety! More variety means more nutrients and a more diverse microbiome.


As a licensed functional nutritionist, below are my thoughts on this star studded salad.


I imputed the recipe to Cronometer to find the full nutrient breakdown. Here’s what I found:

  • One serving was only 400 calories. This is not enough for a grown human to have for a meal! 

  • The protein in one serving is only 14 g. For a meal we want 20-35 grams, depending on the person.

  • Fiber content is awesome at 9 grams per serving. 

  • The ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 is about 1:10.

    • Meaning it contains much more omega 6s to omega 3s. Ideally we want a 1:1 ratio, or just as many omega 3s as omega 6s. 

  • High in certain vitamins:

    • vitamin K (90% daily value), folate (30% daily value), vitamin B2 (27% daily value), vitamin B6 (25% daily value)

  • Excellent source of certain minerals:

    • copper (58% daily value), magnesium (24% daily value), zinc (20% daily value), selenium (18% daily value), potassium (10% daily value), plant-based iron (22% daily value for meat eaters, note that plant-based iron has lower absorption).


My thoughts:

  • Increase the calories

  • Increase the protein

  • Increase omega 3s

  • Add another source of vitamin C to increase the absorption of plant-based iron 

  • Add another color for even more antioxidants

  • Add a digestive-health superfood

  • Ensure the chickpeas are cooked properly for better digestion


Here’s what we added:

  • 3 cans of pink salmon, wild-caught (½ can for each serving)

  • Increased the protein, omega 3 fatty acids, and calories

  • Chicken bone broth to cook the quinoa with instead of water

  • This contains l-glutamine which is the top compound in healing leaky gut

  • 1 cup of cherry tomatoes

  • Increased the vitamin C to help with plant-based iron absorption and increased antioxidants

  • Used Jovial brand canned chickpeas 

  • These beans are presoaked and pressure cooked for better digestion and less gas


Ingredients

  • 1 cup quinoa or bulgur wheat, uncooked

  • 2 cups chicken bone broth

  • 1 cup cucumber, chopped

  • ½ cup parsley, chopped

  • ½ cup mint, chopped

  • ⅓ cup red onion, chopped

  • ½ cup roasted and salted pistachios, chopped

  • 1 15 ounce can chickpeas Jovial Brand, drained and rinsed

  • 2 lemons, juiced (about 5-6 Tablespoons)

  • ¼ cup olive oil

  • Sea salt, to taste

  • ground pepper, to taste

  • ½ cup crumbled feta cheese

  • 3 cans wild-caught pink salmon

  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes


Instructions

  1. Rinse dry quinoa. Add quinoa and bone broth to pot and bring water to boil. Reduce to simmer and cook for 15 minutes, covered.

  2. In bowl mix together all remaining ingredients.

  3. Enjoy!




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