Why is salad healthy for you

When you include fiber in your daily diet, you can help prevent obesity and type 2 Diabetes , as well as aid in healthy digestion. To increase your fiber intake when you reach for the salad, try adding some tomatoes, carrots, or cucumbers. Vegetables are packed full of nutrients that your body needs, but you may need to eat more of them. If you aren't getting enough, you're missing out on a lot of important nutrients.

According to Amidor, "vegetables provide many important nutrients including antioxidant vitamins A and C, potassium, and an array of phytonutrients which are natural plant compounds that can help prevent and fight disease. The good news is that salad could be the answer. Hoover believes that salads are a great way of getting our recommended daily servings of vegetables. According to the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics , people who reported eating salads specifically had higher amounts of vitamins A, B-6, C, E, K, folate, choline, magnesium, and potassium.

Although salads are packed full of fibers and nutrients that our body needs, it's important to note that regularly consuming salads may sometimes bring some unwanted side effects as well.

In the same study from the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics , it was found that regular salad consumers also showed higher numbers of sodium, fat, sugars, and refined grains.

According to Amidor, this is because most people often pack on ingredients that are higher in fat and sugar to make the salads more delicious. Hoover also reminds us that "while salads can be loaded with nutrients, not all salads are created equally…some dressings have hidden ingredients that add extra calories and sugar to the salad. Thanks for posting. I have the same maiden name as yours. I was born in Michigan. Wonder if we are related in some way. It was not until I met my husband that I started eating a salad with every meal.

Quiet honestly before I married him I would only eat a salad weekly, if that. I believe they serve best as an addition to meals and soups. During the summer we make salads fresh from our garden. Its a wonderful feeling to be able to walk out to the garden and pick what you would like knowing it is healthy and prepared fresh. Adding fresh fruit like strawberries or blueberries can have a nice refreshing twist as well! Nothing beats the taste of growing your own veggies, fruit and herbs for salads and its a true joy to harvest healthy, natural food for your own plate.

Something about home grown really does taste better! But great post Lorna, I myself have been working salads into my everyday. Right now I am big on homemade maple dressing too! Me and my boyfriend have always tried to make it a goal to make sure we constantly have salad in the house.

I find it a great side with many meals and also a great thing to snack on throughout the day when you are wanting something to eat. Thank you for this article as it reminded me so many other reasons why we should continue this!! I love salads. I literally pile it up with everything and anything that is in my fridge. I am sure that I could be proven wrong but I for what I buy I normally am happy to put a lot of greens into it. One other aspect of salads and veggies is they are generally cheap!

A big bag of washed greens is only a few dollars. I agree, a salad a day is an excellent idea in the warmer months. But I love experimenting with different combos and flavors. Raw veggies are just so refreshing and healthy, and being able to make my own salad dressings just adds so much to that. And really, homemade does taste better…. I especially enjoyed this one, because it has inspired me to get back in the habit of eating at least one raw salad daily.

You mentioned homemade, as opposed to commercially produced, dressings. I remember Dr. Joel Fuhrman mentioning a dressing recipe that consisted of sesame seeds, oranges, cashews, and blood orange vinegar.

It sounded amazing, but I never got around to trying it. Maybe now is the time! As a kid I loved drenching my salad in dressing. Still, to this day I love to do the same.

My favorite is Spinach with vinegar and olive oil mixed. The idea of putting salad in a mason jar is strange, but such a cute idea for the summer.

Do they persist after a light steaming? I can eat a salad every single day. No lie. I cannot stand those creamy or fattening dressings either. Just straight vinegar for me. I just hate it! It seems such a disappointment to the lettuce world…. You forgot to mention the health benefits of taco salads! Romaine lettuce has become a big part of my diet. I eat about 5 lbs of romaine a week. I pour light salad dressing in it, but I try to avoid creamy dressings and ones with too much sugar.

What a delightful article Lorna! I only eat salad twice a week at present. These ideas help me envision eating more salad and not getting bored with it. Reading about the nutrients salads have to offer is also very inspiring. I do agree that a salad can be so refreshing and delicious. I find it interesting that eating a salad at the beginning of the meal will help curb overeating. I also am attracted to the books you have listed and will put them in my favorites.

Thanks aphil, the nutritional info definately adds to the motivation factor in eating our daily greens… and a salad recipe book is a great addition to the kitchen for entertaining or just to shake up your own salad routine a bit. And very inspiring! I have to agree with you on feeling fuller at meals by eating more leafy greens. I recently starting adding a simple green salad to my breakfast and have become much more satisfied.

A salad with breakfast sounds interesting Dame, maybe the fiber is helping to make you feel satisfied. So that being said, when I make this, it is the entire meal. I do try my best to incorporate a good amount of vegetables to my cooking in general, however. But I agree with what this post says; there are certainly a lot of benefits to consuming a raw veggie dish.

I really like the variety of types and ideas that you mentioned here. It really makes salad look less like a boring food meant for rabbits, and more like a truly delicious and customizable food. Glad you enjoyed the post! Great info! We eat salads all the time in this house, but mostly just because we like them! I would really like to try a spiralizer.

It might encourage me to eat some of the veggies I typically avoid. I agree people should stay away from store bought dressings. There are some great homemade dressing recipes out there. We are trying a new one today — spicy garlic! Thanks for your comments LJP, did you see the recent post on spiralizers? Some good info there…. I do sometimes add processed deli meats to my salads, and I can see I need to stop doing that. I enjoy adding nuts and seeds, and will have to check into some additional items, such as the clover and mung beans.

Leafy greens are great for helping with cholesterol levels Diane, and such an easy choice to aid our health naturally. Enjoy creating your version! In our home we eat a salad almost every day.

It is a great way to get your veggies and my grand daughter just loves them. She is 7 years old and she loves a good Veggie Warp and if you ask her what she wants to eat she will usually ask for something with broccoli in it. She loves greens of any kind especially kale. It is so nice to see a child enjoy her vegetables. I am not a big fan of iceberg lettuce either.

There are just too many other leafy greens that are more flavourful. This is a great article and has so much wonderful information. Thanks for your comments and glad you enjoyed the info. When I see this type of encouragement it makes me want to give up on everything else and eat only salads for a while. Vegetable and fruit salads. There are just so many delicious combinations that you can come up with and as you say in your article, the health benefits are many!

Glad you found the post encouraging, and with all the health benefits it just makes sense to have them as a regular in our meal plans…. I always have known lettuce is good for you, as well as all vegetables and fruits.

But, I never knew the many benefits salad gives to you. Whenever I think about dieting I think about vegetables and being hungry. I had no idea also how much it benefited your overall health including your bones, eye sight, and skin tone. I do enjoy rich creamy dressings that spice things up. Instead of this I will try your healthy oil and vinegar at home recipe suggestion. These look adorable.

I also agree that using a dressing full of preservatives is just counterintuitive. One analogy that I heard was that putting store bought dressing on a salad was like eating an apple dipped in caramel. I love how informative this article is.

I myself recently lost a lot of weight 15 pounds, to be exact! It is amazing how much a serving of healthy greens can fill me up and fuel me for the rest of the day. I used to despise anything made with a vegetable when I was a kid, and I must admit that I was a late bloomer when it came to eating my veggies. I love how you can basically customize your salad and dressing to your liking, and even add some of your favorite fruits to add an extra oomph.

Thanks for sharing, and I hope you enjoy the kale! Growing up, my guardians always made sure we had some sort of veggie during dinner. More often than not, during the summer that source of veggie would be salads! Though I have to say, my guardians were not very…adventurous with their crispy greens so all we would end up is your typical garden variety lettuce, carrots, maybe some mushroom and corn. Of course, this grew old after awhile so for the longest time I hated eating salad.

While I do make a lot of the greens for dinner myself now, I still have a long way to go with learning what ingredients pairs best with what. I usually stick with my typical items a base, maybe meat, and some cheese but I would love eventually learn more techniques and combinations to make dinner more interesting. Well, as they say tangela, variety is the spice of life… hope you find your salad explorations to be fun and rewarding! Thanks so much for this post. The reasons you mention just solidify these thoughts for me!

Thanks for your kind comments cbrain, a little inspiration can go a long way towards to making a new routine stick. I like this one! Be careful about loading on the vinaigrette—not just because the calories can rack up quickly, but also because according to Keatley, the acid in the vinegar can trigger reflux-related symptoms.

It's also worth noting that tomatoes and cheese, both common salad ingredients, are highly acidic and can aggravate acid reflux. Struggling with bloating or other GI issues after devouring your daily salads? It might be time to consider your portion sizes. Speaking of insoluble fiber, Keatley says this type of fiber attracts water as it moves through your digestive tract—thus helping to soften your stools, making them easier to pass.

That means your daily salad habit could keep constipation at bay. By the way, insoluble fiber doesn't just normalize your bowel movements. According to the Mayo Clinic , high-fiber diets lower your risk of colorectal cancer—potentially because when fiber ferments in your colon, it can have a protective effect.

According to Harvard Health , while "no single fruit or vegetable" can provide all of the nutrients your body needs, a variety of produce can ward off a host of diseases. That makes the salad a superb choice for living a long, healthy life. Need proof? A meta-analysis published in JRSM Cardiovascular Disease determined that eating more leafy green vegetables was associated with a significantly lower risk of heart disease. Now, are you in need of some salad inspiration?

Is it even healthy to do so?