Salads are a popular food choice for many people looking to maintain their health or diet. Many consume a certain amount of vegetables daily by eating salads. But what happens if you eat salads exclusively for a different purpose? Although it is healthy, salads can have side effects like any other food. We looked into whether a salad full of greens is a food that helps our body and what happens to our bodies when we eat it excessively.
A Good Way to Consume Fiber
Eating raw vegetables and fruits is a great way to consume fiber. Fiber not only helps prevent obesity and type 2 diabetes but also aids in digestion. The fiber in vegetables can help manage cholesterol levels in the blood. Adding tomatoes, carrots, and cucumbers to your salad is a good idea.
Side Effects of Regular Salad Consumption
However, regular salad eating might have unintended consequences. Interestingly, salad eaters consume more fat, sugar, and salt. This is because they add heavy ingredients in fat and sugar to make the salad more delicious. Adding cheese, nuts, avocados, and dressings can increase the calorie count to over 800, which is an exemplary point.
Extreme Calorie Restriction
Salads are low-calorie foods, so in many cases, you don’t consume the recommended amount of calories. You may lose weight in the first few weeks if you severely restrict calories. Still, later on, your body adapts to the reduced calories, resulting in a lower metabolism and lowered immunity. Long-term usage of this approach is not advised since it makes your body more susceptible to yo-yo dieting.
Hunger and Bloating
A salad deficient in calories or nutrition might quickly make you feel hungry. Despite being easily digested and having well-balanced nutrients, eating too many raw vegetables might damage the digestive system and result in bloating. This is something to be cautious about. It’s also a good idea to boost water consumption in proportion to the amount of vegetables consumed.
Eating Salad Healthily
Many people enjoy salads for dieting or to stimulate their appetite before meals. Some foods are good to eat together to absorb the salad’s nutrients to the maximum. First, boiled eggs, when eaten with salad, significantly increase the absorption rate of vitamin E, according to research results. Vitamin E has an antioxidant effect, reduces damage to skin and hair, and aids blood circulation. It also removes active oxygen, enhances immunity, maintains hormone balance, and improves symptoms such as premenstrual syndrome and weight gain.
If You Eat This Way, It’s a Calorie Bomb
If you choose mayonnaise for salad dressing, it can easily become a calorie bomb. Thousand Island dressing and Caesar dressing are typical examples. The calories per 100g are 370 and 400, respectively, which can vary depending on the amount of vegetables. Still, if you eat about 3 tablespoons of dressing on a salad plate, you are already consuming the calories of a bowl of rice. Oil-based dressings also have high calories, so it is better to add vinegar-based dressings.
If You Have Bad Kidneys, You Should Choose Your Vegetables Carefully
If you have chronic kidney disease, avoiding fruits or vegetables high in potassium as much as possible is better. Suppose you soak vegetables in warm water for about 2 hours or blanch them in hot water to reduce the potassium content before eating. In that case, you can reduce the potassium content even if you eat the same amount of vegetables.
Vegetarianism Affecting Bone Density
Vegetarianism affects bone density. Research results show that vegetarians have lower bone density than those who do not. If you consume only vegetables, fruits, and grains to the extreme, the lack of vitamins, minerals, calcium, and protein can adversely affect bone health. Therefore, you should eat seaweed and nuts together, boosting bone health.
Be Careful, Especially During Adolescence!
If children stick only to vegetarianism, they may not get enough calcium, which can cause problems with growth. It is noted that their weak bones and inadequate height growth are caused by their consuming much less calcium than children who eat a balanced meat diet. If a child consumes a lot of vegetables, it is necessary to supplement protein by consuming tofu. They should supplement milk with soy milk if they do not drink it.
Choosing Fresh Vegetables
Choose ones with shiny leaves and no wilted or yellow leaves for celery. The stalk should be thick and have clear tendons and curvatures. It tastes best in early summer and fall and is suitable for storage if you buy them in a bunch. For broccoli, choose ones with small and solid buds, and the darker the green, the softer and sweeter the taste. If you blanch broccoli and store it in the refrigerator, you can keep it fresh for about four days.
By. Shin Young Jeon
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