Salads Won't Help You Lose Weight Unless You Follow These 10 Expert Tips

Add cooked whole grains like quinoa, brown rice, farro, or barley, and it'll offer a satisfying chewy texture, filling fiber, and complex carbs to sustain your energy.

"Warm grain bowls are nutrient-dense and filling," registered dietitian Lisa Eberly Mastela, MPH, RD, told POPSUGAR. If you're basing your diet on traditional Chinese medicine principles, warm foods are also easier to digest, so you'll be doing yourself a service if you layer your veggies on some warm quinoa vs. raw leaves.