A daily vegetable salad keeps you hale and hearty! We’ve all heard the 5-9 servings mantra ad nauseum. The government, our doctors, magazine article, health websites – if you’re above ground in the 21st century, you’ve heard it. The usual problem faced by the diner is, ‘How the heck am I supposed to eat that many fruits and veggies in a day and have room left over for anything else?’
Well, for one thing, a ‘serving’ is measured in half cups. Take out your half cup measuring cup and take a look. It’s really not much. You can fulfill your daily quota with just one, meal sized veggie salad.
This article focuses on the veggie aspect, in particular, vegetable salad recipes. Veggie salads are a dieter’s BFF. The veggie salad is also an excellent choice for diabetics, heart patients, or people with elevated blood pressure or high cholesterol conditions. As a matter of fact, vegetable salad recipes are good for every one of us. If you don’t now have any particular health problems, veggie salads are a good way to avoid developing any of these problems. Of course, vegans know the virtues of veggies. A veggie salad is a filling meal for a hot summer’s day.
A good vegetable salad recipe is high in fiber, low in calories and fat, nutrient dense and full of antioxidants, those powerful anti-cancer agents. What more could you ask from a meal?
Veggies are typically high in fiber, good news for everyone. Dieters benefit from the fact that it usually requires at least as many calories, or more, to digest the fiber as are contained in the food. Negative calories, anyone?
The fiber content of any vegetable salad recipe is an excellent tonic for the digestive system, helping to thoroughly flush any accumulated toxins from your system.
As for carbs, a whole plate of veggies may add up – a concern for diabetics. However, these are complex carbohydrates, which break down slowly into sugars. This is a good deal for the diabetic. The adrenals aren’t taxed with a quick load of sugar, as is found in a soda or candy.
Almost all veggies are low in calories and fat. A good thing for dieters, and good for your heart, cholesterol levels and circulatory system as well.
Veggies, particularly the brightly colored veggies and green leafy ones, tend to be nutrient dense and rich in antioxidants.
Every vegetable salad recipe should be doused with a couple of teaspoons of freshly minced garlic. Taken daily, garlic helps lower your BP and bad cholesterol, while raising the good. Worried about ‘garlic breath’? Counteract that with a few sprigs of fresh parsley, a good source of vitamin A and iron. Parsley does away with bad breath.
When making your vegetable salad, appearance matters! A colorful selection of veggies is not only attractive, but provides a well-rounded assortment of nutrients.
Making a vegetable salad recipe on the fly is easy. Start with a bed of dark green lettuce or raw spinach. Search the frig for leftovers, such as that bit of corn or onions from last night’s dinner. Keep a few hard-boiled eggs in the frig to add some protein to your daily vegetable salad recipes. In summer, when you see red, orange and sweet bell peppers at a good price, stock up. Dice them all and freeze in serving sized freezer bags, with water to cover and a tad of lemon juice to retain color and nutrients.
Vary your vegetable salad recipes daily, so you don’t become bored of the tastes. Use onions, mushrooms, sliced carrots, radishes, artichoke hearts, broccoli and cauliflower, according to your preferences. Although technically fruits, tomatoes and olives are still more choices to add to the mix. Diabetics will benefit from adding fresh cilantro, which helps reduce blood sugar levels.
Finally, unless you’re a vegan, a few broiled chicken breast slices are a tasty addition to your salad.
As for dressings, I won’t say a word! To your good health!