How to Choose the Healthiest Salad Greens





Look for low-calorie greens. If your idea of healthy is synonymous with low in calories, you might choose red leaf lettuce. This lettuce, like all varieties of lettuce, is mostly water. But it has half the calories of an equal serving of romaine lettuce, and about 40% of the calories you’d get in an equal serving of iceberg lettuce. It also has vitamin A and vitamin K in ample amounts.
·         Arugula, likewise, is low in calories and weighs in at just six calories per cup. It also has a variety of nutrients and phytochemicals that could prevent certain types of cancer.
·         Possibly the lowest-calorie salad green is watercress. Watercress is an aquatic plant native to Asia and Europe. It has just four calories per cup.

Examine nutrients. If you’re looking for salad greens packed with vitamins and minerals, you’ll need something more substantial than arugula and iceberg lettuce. Instead, you’ll need to choose spinach. Spinach has lots of vitamin K, C, A, and B-complex vitamins. It also has a hefty dose of calcium and iron.
·         Another nutritious salad green is romaine lettuce. Unlike iceberg lettuce, romaine has lots of vitamin A – 81% of your daily dose per cup, in fact. It has ample quantities of vitamin K, too.
·         Spinach has more vitamin K per serving than any other salad green.
·         Romaine lettuce has more vitamin A and more vitamin C per serving than any other salad green.
·         Romaine and spinach are just about tied for having the most folate per serving.

Create your own mix. If you want a low-calorie salad and a nutritious salad, employ a mixture of salad greens to make your salad base. For instance, you could mix one cup of arugula, one cup of chopped romaine lettuce, and once cup of spinach in a tasty salad. Or you could mix one cup of kale, one cup of iceberg lettuce, and one cup of radicchio. Remember, there is no wrong way to mix salad greens. Use whichever will help you meet your health goals – and whichever taste most delicious to you.


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