Salads are good for your health. Studies show that eating at least one salad a day gives you some significant health benefits than previously thought. In the experiments conducted, a comparison of those who ate salads and raw vegetables daily with those who did not show that the salad eaters had significantly more vitamins C, E, and folic acid than the other group. Those nutrients are especially important in helping you have a better immune system.
A salad makes it easier for you to manage to consume your expected daily intake of fruits and vegetables. A balanced diet includes those two components, apart from carbohydrates and proteins. You need to focus on salads that contain dark green and red and orange vegetables, as well as some legumes in some cases.
Salads present certain benefits that make an effort worth it. They, for one, help you attain a higher nutrient level in your body. A salad dressing also helps with the improved absorption of specific nutrients in the vegetables that make up the salad. You can see this in the fat content of the salad, which helps with the absorption of nutrients like A and B carotene, as well as lycopene. The fact that you are taking in raw vegetables means that it is much easier for you to attain the recommended intake of vitamins C, E, and folic acid than if you were to rely on other sources. For women, a diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables is beneficial to them as it lowers the rates of premenopausal bone loss. A salad is also an enjoyable meal. A well-prepared salad, whether at home or in a restaurant, is a delicious treat that goes down well and brings a smile to your face.
You can thus see there is a lot to be gained from having a bowl of salad with at least one of the meals of the day, or as a meal by itself. It is important that as you have the salad, you make sure that the accompanying salad dressing adds to the experience, nutrient content, and absorption, and does not take away from it or introduce undesirable elements or results.
Some of the more popular salad dressings include ranch dressing, buttermilk dressing, balsamic vinaigrette, salsa, Thousand Island dressing, olive oil, and Italian dressing of the creamy and oil-based kind. Of all these salad dressings, you can be certain of a great taste when paired with the right salad. Not all of them are, however, nutritious. Granted, they may contain some healthy recipes on their own, and example being the ranch dressing. It is made of a mixture of buttermilk, salt, garlic, mustard, onion, spices, and herbs to make a sauce based on mayonnaise, or some other oil emulsion. The caloric content by itself is enough to cause worry, not to mention the saturated fats. In some cases, sour cream and yogurt may be used in place of buttermilk and mayonnaise. Those go to raise the caloric content further.
You, therefore, need to check which salad dressing you choose to include in your salad. A healthy option is to go for an organic dressing. It will help with the absorption of the nutrients, improve the taste of the salad, and not defeat the purpose of having a salad in the first place.