Salad is the perfect accompaniment for any dinner and also makes the perfect lunch or snack. Here are just a few good reasons to add more salad into your diet and get that vegetable chopper earning its keep.
Dozens of Flavors
Salad is packed with flavor because salad can include any ingredients you like. You can stick with just veggies or add everything from fruits and nuts to cheeses and croutons. You can create any flavor using the salad dressing of your choice and can take it from the basics to a real complicated concoction for a main meal.
Plenty of Fiber
It’s no secret you need fiber in your diet and raw veggies are an excellent source of fiber. It will help keep your cholesterol levels healthier as well as keep you regular. As well fiber helps you feel full so when you have a good salad for lunch you will be less likely to feel hungry mid afternoon which is very common when eating too many carbs.
Healthy Choices
You can get your nutrients from supplements but nothing is better than getting them first hand. Fruits and veggies are packed with everything from Vitamin C to folic acid as well as much needed alpha and beta carotenes. Antioxidants are needed to help protect your body from free radicals and veggies are full of them especially dark green and orange ones.
Loose Weight
Eating salad can help you lose weight as on many diet plans veggies are considered a free item without any limits. A good way to lessen calorie intake is to cover half your plate with salad and veggies and only a quarter with protein. It will keep you full while providing your daily intake of much needed veggies.
Other Healthy Ingredients
Salad does not just contain veggies. You can add other healthy ingredients such as avocados, olive oil and nuts. All of these food items contain monounsaturated fats which absorb phytochemicals. Ingredients such as avocados assist you in absorbing much needed beta and alpha carotene. Olive oil is the healthy oil of choice a key ingredient in the very healthy Mediterranean diet.
So pull out that vegetable chopper and get chopping for your next salad. You will be able to get creative and enjoy the fresh flavors of raw, healthy veggies.
