A big salad can be the healthiest meal of your day. An examination of NHANES dietary survey data finds that people who eat salads have higher intakes of fiber, vitamins A, C, E, K, folate, choline, magnesium and potassium. Their diets score 6 points higher (on average) on the Healthy Eating Index and they have higher intakes of vegetables, beans, whole fruit, protein foods, and fatty acids. When it comes to nutrition, salads rule!
But it’s also possible for salads to miss the mark. If certain key ingredients are missing, your salad may be little more than a bowl of chewable water that leaves your stomach growling after 45 minutes. At the other end of the spectrum, too many high-calorie, low-nutrition ingredients can turn a salad into a dietary disaster.
So this week, Nutrition Diva is offering six tips that will help you build a great salad, one that delivers lots of good nutrition without too many calories, and also keeps you satisfied until your next meal. She's specifically focusing on entrée salads, that constitute the main part of your meal, as opposed to side salads. (Although a lot of these tips apply to side salads as well.) For all her tips on making your salad fabulous, listen to this week's episode or read a transcript here.
