Five Myths About Salads - Busted!

Before you can claim hands down that you have arrived by eating salads and knowing everything about this green diet, let us help you sift fact from fiction.

Else, salads can give you equal nightmares like junk food does. We present the five busted myths about salads.

Fat-Free Dressing Or No Dressing Is Best 

Well, there are good fats and there are not-so-good fats. Your body does need some of that creamy fats to optimise cell functioning and to help absorb the antioxidants found in leafy veggies, tomatoes and carrots. These compounds actually help in reducing the risk of heart disease too. Moreover, the busted myth about salad is that the sugar present in fat-free dressing does not offer any nutrition.

Lettuce? What’s In A Name? 

Not every leaf is lettuce, and not every lettuce is the same. First of all: forget the iceberg and endive, as they come with no nutrition. Instead, your best options would be arugula and watercress, which are loaded with cancer-fighting antioxidant compounds. If you want lettuce high in lutein, an antioxidant that reduces the risk of blindness and cancer, then go for spinach, kale and turnip greens. Romaine, red leaf and mesclun lettuces are high in beta-carotene, and will do you good.

Organic Is More Nutritious 

How green is too green? If you have been following the myth that anything organic is the best, then well, let’s bust that myth. Sure, there are reasons to choose organic, but a nutrient bonus isn’t one of them. The fertilizer used in growing organic products has actually no effect on the nutritional content of fruits and veggies.

Salads Are Always Low In Calories 

Yes perhaps a little better than those hearty servings of butter chicken, but not so much lesser! It’s true that they can be a waistline-friendly choice, but those salads that include a good amount of nuts, seeds, cheese, bacon or mayonnaise are usually loaded with calories and can easily contain more calories than a steak and chips. For your information, a typical chicken Caesar salad contains 780 calories, 60gm fat and 10gm saturates, another salad myth busted.

Celery Has Negative Calories 

At six calories per stalk, celery is undoubtedly a weight-friendly food. But doctors and researchers all across the globe have agree that there’s no such thing as a negative calorie! Celery’s low (or almost no) calorie intake makes it highly popular, but you’ll surely need other ingredients to satisfy your hunger and fulfil your nutritional requirements.