Salads and nutrients

Salads can be a good way to get your daily nutrients. Salads can also supply extra daily fiber. However, not all salads are healthy or nutritious. It depends on what is in the salad. It is ok to add small amounts of dressing or other toppings to add flavor. or other treats. However, it you overdo it with high-fat add-ins, your salad will stop being healthy.

Prepare salads with colorful vegetables. If you have plenty of fresh vegetables in the salad, then you are getting healthy, disease-fighting nutrients.

Beware of the extra items you add to your vegetable salads.

• You want to include some fat in your salad. Mixing vinegar with olive oil or other vegetable oil is good. You can also add nuts and avocado to include health fats. This will help your body to make the most of the fat soluble vitamins (A,D, E, and K)
• Use salad dressing or added fats in moderation. Large amounts of prepared salad dressing or added fats can turn a healthy, low-calorie salad into a very high-calorie meal.
• Chunks of cheese, bacon bits, nuts, and seeds can increase the amount of sodium, fat, and calories in a salad. Try to choose only 1 or 2 of these items to add to your colorful, raw veggies.
• At the salad bar, avoid add-ons such as coleslaw, potato salad, and creamy fruit salads which can increase calories and fat.
• Try to use a darker lettuce. Light green Iceberg has fiber but not as many nutrients as dark greens such as romaine, kale, or spinach.
• Add variety to your salad with high-fiber, lower calorie items such as legumes (beans), raw vegetables, fresh and dried fruit.