Going Green (and Blue, Red, and Orange) Every Day

A few reasons why you should build your daily diet around salad.

Eating a healthy diet is no easy task. With health nuts and health professionals coming up with new regulations and recommendations nearly every day, it can be tiring to try to keep up with the latest advice. Well, here is some advice that will pass the test of time: eat more salads. According to health professionals, you should begin eating a salad every day in addition to an apple if you want to keep the doctor away. Here's why you should make a point to add some green, leafy goodness to your meals.

They're Easy

You need a quick snack, a great side dish to complement your meal, or a light and tasty dinner. Where do you turn? Salad! Available in various sizes and shapes at practically every restaurant (including quite a few fast-food restaurants), salads give you a healthy base to your meal. And if you're staying home for a home-cooked meal, a salad is an easy addition to your routine.

Not into cutting up lettuce? Don't think that gets you out of your salad obligation, because it doesn't. In an effort to increase convenience and reduce excuses for not eating salads, there are now a number of pre-made salads that are bagged up and ready to be eaten at home. All you have to do is grab a bag of salad at the store. When you get home, simply open the bag, pour the salad on your plate, add a little salad dressing, and enjoy!

"The embarrassing thing is that the salad is out-grossing my films". — Paul Newman

They're Tasty

Gone are the days of boring lettuce-only salads. Today's palates demand much more than a little bit of iceberg lettuce and some everyday salad dressing. Modern salad eaters demand different textures, flavors, and colors, and the salad world has blossomed as a result.

When it comes to a great salad, the only limits to how far you can take a salad are your imagination and taste buds. Give your salad an instant flavor boost by adding feta cheese, blueberries, nuts, strawberries, pickles, croutons, carrots, mandarin oranges, and spinach. Take it to the next level by adding grilled chicken and some light raspberry vinaigrette and you may never eat anything but salad again.

They're Healthy

Once you add in all your favorite fruits and vegetables, your salad becomes one of the healthiest items on the table. Not only are you eating something low in fat, cholesterol, and calories, but you're also getting plenty of fruits and vegetables at the same time. As long as your chicken pieces are lean, you'll get the added benefit of an instant boost of protein without any of the negatives associated with fatty meats.

Filled with fiber, good fats (not saturated or trans-fats), and vitamins and minerals, a well-made salad isn't a good idea. It's a great idea, and an easy way to improve your health each day. Salad tastes great, is easy to make, is healthy, and helps fill you up before digging into those not-so-healthy calories. Now that you know why salads are so great for you, start building your diet around this wonderful dish!

Dressing It Up

Like cream cheese icing on a low-fat cake, the wrong salad dressing can ruin an otherwise wonderful salad. Choosing a flavor is up to your taste buds, but picking a healthy choice that will complement your healthy choice of salad is up to you.

When you're ready to pick up some new salad dressing, there is one guideline that will help you pick out a dressing worthy of your healthy masterpiece: go with vinegar. Dressings made with vinegar are typically light and healthy, and according to research out of Japan, vinegar may help you get rid of fat and defend your body from obesity. And you thought vinegar-based dressings only tasted good!