What's In Your Salad

 A bowl of good salad can be the nicest thing you can have at any time of day - yes, the healthiest too! Provided it's put together this way: tasty, rich in textures, with chunks of fresh vegetables, lots of crunchy vegetables, crunchy slices of fruit and sprouts peeking out here and there. To make it more delicious, add some nuts, seeds, eggs, tofu or beans. Drizzle this with selected dressings and what do you have? So that's the question!

What's actually in your salad?

Let's take a look at the contents of the most popular salads

Coleslaw

Thin strips of cabbage and grated carrot make an energetic combination. However, by using regular mayonnaise, the typical dressing used in this preparation, you are reducing the health benefits that the vegetable provides. The number of calories per serving can be 260. Instead of mayonnaise, you can use low-fat yogurt.

Caesar salad

This salad has earned its health malign status because of the fat and calories that come from some of its primary flavors, Parmesan and creamy dressings. For every 100 gram serving, its calorie count could reach 500 and fat 40 g. If you want to continue enjoying Caesar salad guilt-free, use fresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil for dressing. For more flavor, sprinkle with finely chopped garlic. A spoonful of parmesan won't hurt.

Waldorf salad

What better way to celebrate apple season than with a bowl of nicely prepared Waldorf Salad? But then again, you might hold back a bit when you see that it contains mayonnaise, which will give you a calorie count of 195 and 18 grams of fat per 100 gram serving. Instead, use fat-free Greek yogurt as a substitute for mayonnaise, then add some chopped, toasted walnuts for an intense flavor. Walnuts are rich in healthy fats that help lower bad cholesterol.

Greek salad

Probably the only thing that would contradict the health benefits of this salad is the fat and sodium content of the cheese that you add to it. Go easy on this particular ingredient to reduce the fat content from 10g to 3g per serving. Spinach, a staple addition, is rich in iron and calcium, but your body may not absorb all of it because of the oxalic acid. What will help is vitamin C from oranges or a splash of lemon juice mixed in alongside what you get from tomatoes which will also give you vitamin A. For a stronger heart add lots of olives which are a good source of monounsaturated fatty acids, it does! The number of calories per small bowl is 90.

How healthy your salad is depends on what goes into it. Nutritionally, you want healthy fats, which olive oil and avocado can provide. You'll get the best effect on your digestive system from start to finish from fiber courtesy of this vegetable. When it comes to protein, the nuts and seeds you add to your salad and strips of chicken breast can ensure that starchy vegetables like pumpkin and carrots provide as well as some carbs. All of these health benefits and more can be yours when you make sure what's in your salad.