Have you had your salad ration today? Eating salads almost every day may be one of the most healthy eating habits you can adopt —and one of the simplest, experts say according to WWW.WEBND.COM.
All you need to do is throw in a couple of servings of vegetables and/or fruits in your meals. Green salads are on the menus of some restaurants.
You can even buy a side salad with for a few extrabucks at certain fast food chains these days.
And you can make a green salad at home in five minutes, armed with a bag of pre-washed salad greens, a few carrots or other vegies, and a bottle of light salad dressing or vinegar.
Salads are always cool, crunchy, and fun to eat. They come with lots of textures, colours, and flavours. Most people enjoy eating salads — even children!
You can customise them to include the fruits and vegetables that appeal to you the most, and whichever ones you have on hand or which are in season.
Here are four health reasons to reach for a salad today:
Eat salads for fibre
It’s hard to believe that something we can’t even digest can be so good for us! Eating a high-fibre diet can help lower cholesterol levels and prevent constipation.
Not only that, eating more fibre can help you feel fuller, eat less, and ultimately lose weight.
Eat salads for health benefits
Many experts agree that Americans need to eat more fruits and vegetables (especially dark green and orange vegetables) and legumes … all popular salad ingredients.
If you frequently eat green salads, you’ll likely have higher blood levels of a host of powerful antioxidants (vitamin C and E, folic acid, lycopene, and alpha — and beta-carotene,) especially if your salad includes some raw vegetables.
For years, researchers have noted a link between eating lots of fruits and vegetables and lower risks of many diseases, particularly cancer.
A recent study from the National Cancer Institute suggests that people whose diets are rich in fruits and vegetables may have a lower risk of developing cancers of the head and neck — even those who smoke and drink heavily.
Foods found to be particularly protective include beans and peas, string beans, peppers, tomatoes, carrots, apples, nectarines, peaches, plums, pears, and strawberries.
But at the Suva market one can find cucumbers, dhania and even watercress at affordable prices.
