It’s unfortunate that the recent E. coli outbreak may have prompted Americans to cut back on their vegetable consumption, particularly salads. A recent study conducted by the UCLA School of Public Health reveals less than 50% of the U.S. population meets daily dietary recommendations for fresh produce.
Eating just one salad a day provides even greater health benefits than previously thought, note UCLA’s experts, whose research was published in the September issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
According to the study:
- Those who eat salads and raw vegetables with salad dressing benefit from considerably higher levels of vitamins C, E, B6 and folic acid—key nutrients in promoting a healthy immune system and reducing the risk of obesity, heart disease and other chronic illnesses.
- High fruit and vegetable consumption has also been associated with lower rates of premenopausal bone loss in women.
- Eating a salad a day is a convenient way to boost your overall health.
- Frequent salad consumption reflects a healthier lifestyle in general.
Some Organic Authority recipes to get you started:
- Baby Greens with Shallot, Orange & Red Wine Dressing (pictured above)
- California Avocado Grapefruit Salad
- Chicken, Strawberry & Fennel Salad
- Corn, Tomato & Vidalia Onion Salad
- Favorite Chicken Salad
- Organic Arugula Radicchio Salad
- Organic Heirloom Tomato and Red Ruffle Basil Salad
- Organic Mache Salad with Fuyu Persimmons, Pomegranate Seeds and Candied Spiced Nuts
- Poppy Seed Fruit Salad
- Southern-Style Cole Slaw
- Spicy Mango Asian Salad
My closest farmer’s market runs during the summer, from 5 to 9 p.m. outside a Macy’s department store in a large suburban shopping mall parking lot. While there are numerous year-round farmer’s markets in the L.A. area, this one has a particularly festive feel, and I love traveling from booth to booth in search of ding-free produce that has just the right amount of fresh dirt clinging to it.
Just a few years ago, supermarket produce departments offered only one variety of eggplant: the large Black Beauty, with its familiar dark purple skin. Many tasters found it to be mealy and unappetizing, adding eggplant to their list of “hate it” foods.
