Salad: The New Daily Vitamin
Dietary supplements and multi-vitamins are big business today, claiming to provide your daily value of essential vitamins and other helpful supplements, such as fiber and herbs in one dose. Wander the aisles of any drug store and you’ll see numerous supplements in the form of pills, capsules, powders, gel tabs, extracts, or liquids. You can even find them added to drinks or energy bars.
While this approach fits in perfectly with the busy schedule of today’s average American, science has proven that the best way to get vitamins and minerals is not from a “quick fix” pill, but from the foods you eat. The reason? Pills and supplements do not have the same effect on the body as the vitamins and nutrients found in fresh fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are a natural source of energy and give the body many nutrients, such as A, B, and C, required to keep the body functioning at its best. And those with hectic schedules can easily eat a piece of fruit or a handful of carrot sticks on the go.
Further evidence in support of a daily dose of vegetables comes from a new study conducted by the UCLA School of Public Health. The study examined salad and raw vegetable consumption by more than 17,000 adults, revealing that people who eat salads are more likely to meet the recommended daily intake of essential vitamins than those who don’t. It also found that those who eat salads with salad dressing and raw vegetables every day have considerably higher levels of vitamins C, E, B6 and folic acid – key nutrients that aid in promoting a healthy immune system.
Those who still need that extra “push” to maximize their intake of vitamins and nutrients should consider this: it’s as easy as adding a little salad dressing to your diet. Eating salad dressing not only adds a delicious flavor, but also increases the absorption of some of the salad’s nutrients, according to a joint-study earlier conducted by researchers with Iowa State University, Ohio State University and others.
