What Are the Benefits of Salads?

Salad is a staple food consisting of leafy green vegetables like lettuce and spinach and a variety of other vegetables and ingredients as desired. The base of salad is often leafy green vegetables, with many other foods added in, such as vegetables, nuts, grains, meat, poultry, seafood and fruit added in. Salads provide many health benefits. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Benefits of Raw Eating

Although all vegetables are beneficial, raw vegetables offer added benefits. According to Henry Bieler, who wrote "Food is Your Best Medicine," raw vegetables add roughage and bulk, and they also work to keep the contents of your intestines from drying out. In other words, the raw vegetables contained within a salad can help to keep your intestinal tract healthy and your bowel movements regular. Raw leafy green vegetables are good for digestion, and raw vegetables are said to have the highest levels of vitamins because vitamins and minerals have not been lost in the cooking process.

Nutrients

Lettuce, which is the base for many varieties of salad, is packed with nutrients that benefit general health. Key nutrients that are provided in salads include vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B6, folic acid, vitamin A, manganese and chromium. These nutrients are provided by dark leafy greens like romaine lettuce and spinach and other vegetables. Although vegetables in all forms provide these nutrients, fresh raw vegetables contain the highest nutrient values. Different vegetables contain different vitamins and minerals, so a healthy mix of different vegetables in different colors is the best way to benefit from the nutrients that salads have to offer.

Healthy Fats

Many of the things that are added to salads are also beneficial for health, such as salad dressings, nuts and olives. Fat is necessary because it enhances what nutrients are absorbed by the body, including alpha carotene, beta carotene and lycopene. Monounsaturated fats found in such foods as olives, olive oil and nuts are even more beneficial for the body, because they are a healthy type of fat that you can incorporate into your diet. Many nutritionists are recommending that you add at least one source of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) into each meal for optimum health, and several diets, including the Mediterranean Diet and the South Beach Diet, push this principle.

Weight Loss

Salads naturally contain foods that are bulky but low in calories. Foods such as these are capable of filling people up, which promotes healthy weight by preventing overeating. Filling up on leafy greens and other raw vegetables promotes a healthy weight. Starting a meal with a salad can significantly cut down on calorie consumption over the course of a meal. Take a break between the salad and meal to digest and benefit even more from the full effect that salads create.