Written by: Greg Rublev
It’s hard to find excuses to not eat your veggies every day when the list of known benefits far outweighs any reason to leave them out. According to Harvard University, reduced risk of stroke, heart disease, certain cancers, digestive issues and eye problems are just some of the reasons for incorporating vegetables in your diet. Fresh veggies are excellent for promoting good health since they don’t lose any of the vitamins and nutrients that are often leached out during the cooking process. One of the best and palate-pleasing ways to consume more raw veggies is by eating fresh salads! Toss together some tomatoes, cucumbers, avocados, celery, carrots, and red onions – basically, whatever suits your taste buds – and you’ve got yourself a power-packed meal in a bowl. You can make your salads even healthier by using olive oil based dressings, rather than using ones loaded with mayonnaise. Fitness magazine advisory board member and American Dietetic Association spokesperson Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, says that those who eat daily salads have higher levels of disease-fighting antioxidants. It’s also easy to mix it up when it comes to salads. One day you can have one with spinach, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes and bacon. Another day you can throw in some mixed greens, raisins and pine nuts. Chop up some chicken and wrap it up in red lettuce leaves for a breadless “sandwich”. You can also eat more salads by choosing them when you go out to eat, instead of picking one of the calorie-laden items that dominate most restaurant menus. Just ask for your dressing on the side, and you’re good to go. With all the different choices out there, salad-eating need not ever get boring and can greatly assist in your goal of health and longevity.
It’s hard to find excuses to not eat your veggies every day when the list of known benefits far outweighs any reason to leave them out. According to Harvard University, reduced risk of stroke, heart disease, certain cancers, digestive issues and eye problems are just some of the reasons for incorporating vegetables in your diet. Fresh veggies are excellent for promoting good health since they don’t lose any of the vitamins and nutrients that are often leached out during the cooking process. One of the best and palate-pleasing ways to consume more raw veggies is by eating fresh salads! Toss together some tomatoes, cucumbers, avocados, celery, carrots, and red onions – basically, whatever suits your taste buds – and you’ve got yourself a power-packed meal in a bowl. You can make your salads even healthier by using olive oil based dressings, rather than using ones loaded with mayonnaise. Fitness magazine advisory board member and American Dietetic Association spokesperson Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, says that those who eat daily salads have higher levels of disease-fighting antioxidants. It’s also easy to mix it up when it comes to salads. One day you can have one with spinach, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes and bacon. Another day you can throw in some mixed greens, raisins and pine nuts. Chop up some chicken and wrap it up in red lettuce leaves for a breadless “sandwich”. You can also eat more salads by choosing them when you go out to eat, instead of picking one of the calorie-laden items that dominate most restaurant menus. Just ask for your dressing on the side, and you’re good to go. With all the different choices out there, salad-eating need not ever get boring and can greatly assist in your goal of health and longevity.