Diversify your diet with umami-packed salads

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Find out how to make healthy meals more appealing and flavorful

São Paulo, March 2023 – When we think of healthy eating, salad is the first option that comes to mind. However, olive oil, salt, and lemon are not the only possible allies to add more flavor to this dish on a daily basis.

Nutritionist from the Umami Committee, Marilia Zagato, shared some tips to diversify meals with umami ingredients, the fifth basic taste of the human palate.

“The compound present in umami foods, the amino acid glutamate, promotes increased salivation during its consumption. This makes the other flavors in the food that accompany it more enhanced,” explains the nutritionist.

Marilia teaches how to add the fifth taste to salads: “corn, tuna, mushrooms, broccoli, carrot, tomato, and Parmesan cheese are some examples of ingredients that have a good concentration of glutamate and fit perfectly in dishes like these.”

When following a diet, it is very common to eat the same basic and routine foods, which can become tiring. That is why the diversification of seasonings and toppings helps maintain a healthy diet without meals becoming monotonous and exhausting. “Including umami foods helps break the idea that eating healthy means giving up tasty dishes,” concludes the specialist.

To help in the mission of maintaining a balanced diet throughout the year, the nutritionist selected three different and tasty salad recipes: a country-style, an oriental, and a Portuguese one. Take advantage of the warm weather and enjoy the lightness and freshness of salads!

COUNTRY-STYLE SALAD
(Preparation time: 15 minutes)
Serves: 4 portions

Ingredients

• 1 package of lettuce mix (100 g)
• 1 small chicken breast, cooked and shredded (300 g)
• half a can of canned corn, drained (100 g)
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (45 ml)
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (30 ml)
• half a teaspoon of salt (2.5 g)
• 8 Brazil nuts, coarsely chopped (30 g)

Preparation method

1. In a large salad bowl, arrange the lettuce leaves. Add the chicken and corn, and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, and salt, and stir. Drizzle over the salad.
3. Sprinkle the nuts and serve immediately.

ORIENTAL SALAD
(Preparation time: 15 minutes)
Serves: 4 portions

Ingredients

• half a medium bunch of kale, chopped (120 g)
• 1 package of sliced smoked salmon, cut into strips (80 g)
• half a tray of shimeji mushrooms, separated and blanched (100 g)
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (45 ml)
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (15 ml)
• 1 tablespoon of grated ginger (juice only) (15 ml)
• half a teaspoon of salt (2.5 g)
• 3 tablespoons of almonds, skinless, sliced and toasted (25 g)

Preparation method

1. In a large salad bowl, place the kale, salmon, and shimeji.
2. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, ginger, and salt, and stir. Drizzle over the salad.
3. Sprinkle the almonds and serve immediately.

PORTUGUESE SALAD
(Preparation time: 15 minutes)
Serves: 4 portions

Ingredients

• 1 cup of chickpeas, soaked and cooked “al dente” (135 g)
• 200 g of desalted codfish, cooked and shredded
• 2 tablespoons of sliced black olives (20 g)
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (45 ml)
• 1 pinch of salt (0.4 g)
• 2 packages of mixed greens (200 g)

Preparation method

1. In a large bowl, place the chickpeas, codfish, olives, olive oil, and salt, and mix.
2. In a large salad bowl, arrange the greens and place the chickpea mixture on top.
3. Serve immediately.

UMAMI

It is the fifth basic taste of the human palate, discovered in 1908 by Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda. It was scientifically recognized in the year 2000, when researchers at the University of Miami confirmed the existence of specific receptors for this taste on the taste buds. The amino acid glutamic acid and the nucleotides inosinate and guanylate are the main umami substances. The two main characteristics of umami are increased salivation and the continuity of taste for a few minutes after food ingestion. To learn more, visit www.portalumami.com.br.