Have you had your salad today? Eating salad almost every day may be one of the most healthy eating habits you can adopt -- and one of the simplest, experts say.
Eating salads is a super-convenient way to work in a couple of servings of vegetables and/or fruit. Green salads are on the menu of almost every restaurant. You can even buy a side salad (with Romaine lettuce, carrots and tomatoes, available with fat-free or reduced-calorie salad dressing) for a buck at many fast food chains these days. And you can make a green salad at home in 5 minutes, armed with a bag of pre-washed salad greens, a few carrots or other veggies, and a bottle of light salad dressing.
Not only that, but salads are cool, crunchy, and fun to eat (lots of textures, colors, and flavors). Most people enjoy eating salads--even kids! You can customize them to include the fruits and vegetables that appeal to you the most, and whichever ones you have on hand.
Here are health reasons to reach for a salad today:

• Eat Salads for the Fiber  It's hard to believe that something we can't even digest can be so good for us! Eating a high-fiber diet can help lower cholesterol levels and prevent constipation Eating healthy foods aid in helping the body feel energetic and filled with vitality. High fiber salads eaten before a meal tend to help you consume less of the higher calorie foods served afterward. This fiber fullness side effect will help you lose weight.
• Eat Salads for the Health Benefits of Fruits and Vegetables

If you frequently eat green salads, you'll likely have higher blood levels of a host of powerful antioxidants (vitamin C and E, folic acid, lycopene, and alpha- and beta-carotene,) especially if your salad includes some raw vegetables. Antioxidants are substances that help protect the body from damage caused by harmful molecules called free radicals.

• Eat Salads to Cut Calories and Increase Satisfaction

If losing weight is your goal, you may want to start your meals with a green salad

• Eat Salads to Get Smart Fats

Eating a little good fat (like the monounsaturated fat found in olive oil, avocado and nuts) with your vegetables appears to help your body absorb protective phytochemicals, like lycopene from tomatoes and lutein from dark green vegetables
Specially salads are both full of heart-healthy, cancer fighting, cell building ingredients and are fantastic weight loss and weight maintenance tools.

• Eating raw fruits and vegetables will keep you feeling better, look more fit, become healthier and live longer.
• First, you eat food with your eyes. Salads have varied textures, shapes, sizes and colors which make them visually appealing and satisfying. We enjoy foods that are entice our eyes and also eat more of them.
• A salad does not have to be just lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. There are thousands of ingredient combinations possible for making a salad. You could have a different salad every day for years! Not only are the ingredients in the salad numberless, but there are also many salad dressing combinations that can spice up a salad.
• Eating a variety of textures keeps mealtime interesting. Salad ingredients can add a nice crunch which is much better for you than munching on cookies or potato chips.
• If you have a sweet-tooth that craves sugar and candy, add fruit or a fruity dressing to the salad. Not only will this satisfy your craving, but it tastes refreshing and will re-energize you.
• Waiting for Chinese food to be delivered, making a salad is relatively quick. The basic salad only requires that you wash and cut the vegetables. No baking is required. After buying vegetables, washing and storing them in the refrigerator decreases the time it will take you later to prepare a salad.
• Salads are high in vitamins and minerals such as: vitamin A (immunity), vitamin C (fight infection, boost iron absorption, maintain healthy bones, gums and skin), vitamin K (strong bones, heal wounds, assists blood to clot), calcium (build strong teeth and bones, assists blood to clot, nerves to carry messages, muscles contract), alpha- and beta-carotene (antioxidant that help protect against cancer and heart disease), iron (maintain healthy blood) and many other vitamins and minerals.
• You simply can’t go wrong when adding basic salad ingredients, so it isn’t necessary to be a chef or even know how to cook in order to make a delicious salad. Children can easily assist in preparing salads. It is also the perfect meal to motivate children towards eating a variety of vegetables since they are more apt to eat what they help prepare.
• Salads help protect the body from diseases such as cancer and heart disease because they are high in fiber which improves digestive health. The raw fruits and vegetables in a salad also are antioxidants. Just add a hand full of blueberries and walnuts to a salad to up the health factor significantly. Research has also shown that people who consume plenty of raw vegetables and good fat (olive oil) have a reduced mortality! Salads will help you live longer!
• Salads are so varied, that they are exciting. Really! Think about it! You never know what you will find under the next leafy green.

Obviously, I love making and eating salads. Hopefully after reading these health benefits of eating salad, you will feel more inclined to add salad as a regular item on your daily menu.

Salad Tips
Here are tips for cleaning, storing, and preparing the greens you have selected for your great salad recipe.
Cleaning
How to Wash Greens	Place leafy greens in basket of salad spinner. With salad spinner in sink, run cold water through spinner while turning the basket. Repeat once or twice, if necessary, to make sure greens are clean and dry. Pat dry with paper towels, if necessary. If you do not have a salad spinner, rinse greens under cold running water until clean. Then, pat dry with paper towels.
How to Wash Fresh Herbs	Always wash fresh herbs before use. Rinse small bunches under cold running water, then blot dry. Or when needing to clean a large amount of herbs, fill the sink with cold water and swish the herbs around to remove any dirt. Remove the herbs from the sink and place in a salad spinner to spin dry. Or, place on paper towels and gently blot dry.
Storing
How to store Leafy Greens	Store greens wrapped between dry paper towels, if desired, in a perforated plastic bag or loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
How to Store Long Stemmed Herbs	Place long-stemmed fresh herbs, such as parsley, cilantro and dill, in a tall glass with the stem ends down. Fill with about an inch of cold water. Cover the leaves with a plastic bag and refrigerate until ready to use, changing the water every 2 days. Herbs should stay vibrant and fresh for about 5 days.
Preparing
How to Core Lettuce	Holding head of lettuce so that bottom, or core end, faces a flat surface, bring the lettuce down hard against the surface to loosen core. Pull out core and discard.
How to Prepare Lettuce	Remove the core from the head of lettuce, then pull the lettuce apart from the core end and tear into bite-sized pieces. Do not chop tender lettuces, such as butterhead, with a knife since this can cause the lettuce to turn brown around the edges. Less delicate lettuces, such as romaine, can be cut but be sure to use a sharp knife.
How to Shred Lettuce	Cut head of cored iceberg lettuce in half. Place each half, cut side down, on cutting board. Cut across the halves into thin slices, then separate slices into shreds.