Why Do We Love Salads So Much?

They sit on the side of almost every meal. They fill up a bowl the size of a State at your barbecue. And they make a refreshing summer meal when it’s too hot to cook. Salads are everywhere, and we love them. It doesn’t seem to matter what time of year it is. A salad can make a beautiful garnish or an entire dish. So why do we love them so much?

Easy To Grow

Let’s face it. If you’re into green living and growing your own, salads are the best place to start. Lettuce, carrots, and tomatoes are the easiest things to grow. And if you pop a few strawberry plants in hanging baskets, you can even top your side dishes off with a slice or two of these sweet fruits. Growing your own often means that you only have this fresh produce seasonally. But it doesn’t get more convenient than putting it on the table fresh from your garden.

Easy To Make

A salad is one of the first things we learn to make as children. You can use an iceberg lettuce as a bowl, or shred it to create a filler. Slice or cube some cucumber. Halve the cherry tomatoes, or even slice up plum ones. A little bit of cabbage adds some crunch. Slices of beetroot add rich color and intense flavor too. For a topping, you could add some grated cheddar cheese or even some toasted pine nuts. Drizzle with dressing and serve. There are plenty of ways to present a salad, and dozens of ingredients to choose from.

strawberry salad

image source

Salad really can go with almost any dish. And it makes a pretty good meal on its own. If you keep the dressing light or bare, you can eat as much as you like. It is almost calorie free, fat-free, and those unhealthy nasties are absent. Kids love the sweetness of the tomatoes as well as all the colors from carrots, peppers, and cucumber. What could be better for topping up on those essential vitamins and minerals?

Easy To Impress

Salads are so full of color, shape, and texture. This makes them incredibly impressive when you present them right. Create cucumber sailing boats, or stuffed pepper heads. There is no limit to the imaginative and creative ways you can present these wonderful foods. Hosting a party or event? Salad could even become a stylish centerpiece!

Easy To Be Healthy

Many of the ingredients of a salad are packed full of vitamins and minerals that are essential to good health. Tomatoes boast vitamins C and K. Carrots provide B vitamins and fiber. And cucumber offers us pantothenic acid and manganese. The more variety you add to your salads, the more wholesome they become.

No wonder we are all so fond of the humble salad. What other dish can work as a garnish, a side, or even a main meal? We add salads to sandwiches and wraps. And we use them to decorate a platter. What’s in your salad?

 

Comments

  1. CL Chin says

    Salads are easy to prepare and you can add almost anything you like to a salad.
    In the summer I like fruits like strawberries, nuts and some sort of soft cheese in mine!

  2. Judy Thuy Duong says

    I absolutely agree with you, I love salsa and have it as a side on almost everything I eat. I’ve been to Mexico many times and usually it’s all inclusive and I tend to eat so unhealthy so I ended up just eating Salsa and chips for the remainder of the trips. (helps me feel a bit healthier when I’m in Mexico.

  3. I agree completely! I eat so many salads a week! It’s really easy to change them up with add-ins and dressings that you never really get bored 🙂

  4. Julie F says

    I love salads, they are so easy to prepare and you can have them with anything or on their own!

  5. I love salads,you can add anything you want

  6. Salads are literally my favorite part of summer, Cool, delicious & refreshing!

  7. Salads are awesome and you can customize them anyway you want!!!

  8. Susan T. says

    I love spinach and goat cheese with a maple dijon dressing!

  9. I eat salads just about everyday for lunch! I like to load it with veggies!

  10. Kim Tanti says

    Not all salads are easy. Some need alot of prep work but it is worth it. I have not had a salad I did not like.

  11. Florence C says

    We eat a lot of salad and I love to change them up with different types of lettuce, kale or spinach.

  12. That salad looks so nice and refreshing for a summer BBQ!!

  13. kristen visser says

    this looks so refreshing and yummy! I love salads. I actually went to a buffet this afternoon with my family and all I would eat was the variety of salads they had. that way I don’t feel to full afterwards 🙂

  14. Anne Taylor says

    I love a good salad for dinner a few times a week!

  15. mommakoala says

    My salads can be hearty. I add fruit, nuts, cheese. It’s a great meal all by itself

  16. sarah alexis says

    All of the above!!! I love salads… especially when fruit and nuts are involved!!!

  17. I love salads. It’s the fresh taste and the good textures.

  18. Richard Hicks says

    I like salads too. For the most pat simple to prepare and very nutritiious

  19. Elva Roberts says

    Salads may be used as a side dish or a main dish. They may be as simple or as elaborate as the contents of your frig and/or cupboard. You can vary the ingredients or stick with staples and add something to ‘zing’ it up in a special way. Salads are especially good for those watching our weight. We can get a lot of fiber and flavor with few calories and still feel like we have dined very well.

  20. Salads are delightfully easy and delicious anytime.They are healthy and so refreshing and I crave them when I haven’t had one for awhile.I love them because there is such a wide variety of them too.

  21. Debbie White Beattie says

    I love salads, whether it’s a lettuce salad or a fruit salad or pasta or potato, I think you get what I’m saying. Salads add something to my meal that I love !

  22. I love salads too, sometimes in the summer we make a meal of just various salads! They are so nice when it’s hot out!

  23. Darlene Wissenz says

    Salads can be a complete meal with the addition of some protein, I eat salads all year long

  24. I love kitchen sink salads almost once a week – doesn’t matter what it is in it – it tastes great!

    M

  25. Elaine Buonsante says

    What a beautiful presentation, so colourful!

  26. Salad possibilities are endless and most are fairly easy to prepare. We grew up eating coleslaw, didn’t have lettuce salads, but now I’ve also added a few salads containing fruit and cheeses other than cheddar to the salad bowl. I especially love a broccoli salad and we also love the tomato-cucumber-pepper salad too.

  27. Elaine Buonsante says

    Love the combination of fruit and vegetable in a salad.

  28. Wendy Gage says

    I love salads also, easy to make, and healthy option

  29. The possibilities are endless for what you can put in a salad. I like to add seasonal items from our local markets, makes for a nice fresh salad.

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