Fall in Love with Salad

In observance of Fruit & Veggies month, I’d like to bring attention to the wonderful world of salads. Sure, a salad is one of those dishes that you either love or hate. If you’re trying to lose weight and eating salad everyday, you may be growing tired of salad right about now.  Eating salad can become extremely boring, especially if you’re often eating the same kind of salad. But, take it from someone who’s eaten a lot of salad the last 30 years — variety is the key.

Let’s take a look at the health benefits of a few vegetables used in salad:

• extremely low in calories
• lettuce is a good source of Vitamins A, which promotes healthy eyes and skin, and protects against infections; and rich in Vitamin C, which helps to heal cuts and wounds, and promotes good teeth and gums
• tomatoes and cucumbers are rich in potassium, which helps to maintain a healthy blood pressure
• carrots are loaded with beta carotene, a compound that helps to maintain a healthy immune system, and promotes healthy vision, skin, and bones

If the health benefits alone are not enough to make you fall in love with salad, just think of the variety of salads you can eat:

• Almost-Famous Garden Salad
• Smoked Turkey & Fruit Salad
• Greek Salad
• Citrus Green Salad
• Caesar Salad
• Strawberry and Spinach Salad
• Asian Salad
• Orange-Asparagus Salad With Raspberry Vinaigrette
• Classic Pear And Cheese Salad
• American Harvest Salad

These are just a few salad varieties you can enjoy. But, the best salad is the one you make just the way you like it!

More info:
FDA.gov – Nutrition Facts for Raw Vegetables