Are all salad greens
created equal ……. apparently not!
If Iceberg lettuce is
your choice for a salad then you can do better! If you want to get the most
health benefit from a salad, start with Romaine lettuce. Romaine is an
excellent source of vitamin A (in the form of beta carotene), vitamin C,
folate, managanese and chromium and it’s a good source of fiber.
Vitamin C and beta carotene work together to prevent cholesterol (a fat that
circulates in the blood) from becoming sticky and building up on the artery
walls forming plague. If the plague build up becomes too large, it can
block off the artery, preventing the blood from flowing through the artery and
causing a heart attack.
The B vitamin, folate, is needed to convert what can be damaging chemicals in
your body into harmless products. If these chemicals remain in a harmful form,
they can damage you blood vessels. Weakened blood vessels can cause a
higher risk of heart attack or stroke.
In addition to keeping your intestinal tract clean, fiber combines with a
substance call bile salts and removes them from your body. This causes your
body to make more bile salts.
In making bile salts, cholesterol is removed from the blood which reduces the
amount of cholesterol in your arteries available to from plague. The less
plague, the less risk of heart attacks.
Salads are a healthy addition to your diet Make the most of your salad by using
Romaine lettuce. You may want to introduce yourself to Roamine lettuce by
mixing it with Iceberg lettuce. Don’t forget to keep that salad healthy by
using low or reduced fat salad dressing. Try using just lemon juice or a
flavored vinegar instead of dressing on your salad for as a no fat, nutrition
packed step to a healthier you.
Nutrition Tip: Darker green lettuce is more nutritious lettuce!
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