By Sarah Nesbit
Salad is so much more than just boring lettuce, rough croutons and tomatoes. Salads can take on a whole new life in the summer time by adding some of your favorite fruits and vegetables that you may have never thought to toss in your salad greens.
Eating salad can become much more intense than you may think. It can also be made to heal as it satisfies your hunger. There are many fruits and vegetables that if added to a simple green leaf salad to enhance the flavor and add extra healthy qualities. There are also lots of different lettuce choices that can put a twist on this humble dish. By combining various salad greens you can have an array of flavors in the greens from bitter to succulent. Green leaf lettuce, red tip leaf lettuce, endive, arugula and frisee lettuce always give antioxidants, some offer vitamin K, C, B, E and folic acid. Raw spinach is the most powerful, adding selenium, copper, phosphorus, betaine, omega-3 fatty acids, niacin, and much more.
By simply adding your favorite nut to your salad you are also adding protein, calcium, fiber, iron, as well as B and E vitamins. The nut with the most of these benefits is the almond. Almond slices are a crunchy treat and compliment all salad choices. If you are not a fan of almonds, the next nut that provides the same benefits, just not as much is the hazelnut. If you are low on zinc, you should choose the cashew which has twice as much zinc as any other nut. Zinc is a mineral that is essential for fighting off infections.
The avocado is one of the greatest, yet under utilized climacteric fruits. The avocado lowers cholesterol, helps to stop strokes, controls blood pressure, battles diabetes, and actually smooths the skin. A plus you probably never dreamed of getting from any fruit, let alone the avocado.
Apples add a juicy crunch and a delicious flavor to any salad combination, not to mention they protect your heart, block diarrhea, prevent constipation, cushions joints and improves your lung capacity.
Mushrooms may not be your idea of what good is, but adding them to your salad will give your body a great way to kill bacteria, strengthen your bones and combat cancer. A true miracle fungus.
If you have never tried fresh seedless watermelon chunks, green, red, or purple grapes, and strawberries in your salad, then you have some new salad combinations that you must try throughout the summer months.
Watermelon promotes weight loss, lower cholesterol, protect the prostate, helps to stop strokes and controls blood pressure. Strawberries have the added benefit of calming stress, combating cancer, protecting your heart and giving your memory a boost.
Do yourself a service this summer and toss it up with some salad combinations that change your opinion of what salad is as well as heals.
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Sarah Nesbit is a freelance article writer, Ezine author, and Fashion Designer. She contributes to several sites including Degree Jungle a college student resource.
