The warm weather of spring and summer has finally arrived, and one of the best ways to keep ourselves fresh is by enjoying a delicious and healthy salad. They say that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, and the same can be said of salads. There are many benefits that come from eating this healthy dish, and these benefits only increase when we have salads on a daily basis. There are so many different options for salads that adding this healthy dish to our daily meals isn’t likely to become boring.
One of the most important benefits of eating salads on a daily basis is that they are great natural sources of fiber. Several fruits and vegetables are rich in fiber, and the regular intake of this type of carbohydrates comes with many advantages. For example, fiber helps control and reduce “bad” cholesterol, also known as low-density lipoprotein. Fiber also controls our blood sugar, helps us with weight control and healthy weight maintenance, and even normalizes bowel movements.
Another advantage of adding salads to our regular diet is that this allows us to fully enjoy all the nutritional benefits of fruits and vegetables. Nutritionists always recommend eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, as they are loaded with vitamins and minerals, as they increase the level of antioxidants that we have in our blood. Besides, a diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables can help us lowering our blood pressure, reducing the risk of suffering from heart disease and digestive problems.
As we mentioned before, there are hundreds of different possibilities and recipes when it comes to salads, which provides us with many opportunities to try adding different ingredients and dressings. Adding some seeds into the mix can help us increase our intake of healthy fats, too. Some examples include pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, and chia. Also, we can try adding different kinds of oils as dressings to increase our intake of healthy fats.
Last but not least, one of the most important advantages of having a salad a day is that lettuce can help us protect our heart by keeping it in great shape. This is because of the important nutrients that romaine lettuce contains, both in great levels: folate and fiber. High levels of these nutrients have been shown to help to prevent a stroke and cardiovascular disease.
