Ok folks, those that know me know that I don’t eat salad. However, that doesn’t mean that I don’t know how to prepare a tasty and healthy one for my freeloaders friends who come over for dinner. :-)
So, here is a handy little guide to getting the most antioxident bang for the buck when constructing those salads.
Salad Choices:
(Antioxidants per pepper)
- Green leaf: 620
- Butterhead: 420
- Red leaf: 1,213
So, green is good, but a mixed salad which incorporates some red would be better…
Pepper Choices:
(Antioxidants per pepper)
- Yellow: 1,905
- Orange: 1,830
- Red: 1.072
Onion Choices:
(Antioxidants per 1/2 cup)
- Yellow: 1,281
- Red: 917
- Sweet: 492
Nut Choices:
(Antioxidants per ounce)
- Pecans: 5,096
- Walnuts: 3,846
- Hazelnuts: 2,739
Beans Choices:
(Antioxidants per 1/2 cup)
- Red Kidney: 13,259
- Pinto: 11,864
- Black: 4,181
The bottom line is that it’s not the lettuce that really makes the salad rich in antioxidants but the choice of toppings that you adorn it with.
When you’re done with all that, top it all off with a high quality Oil and Vinegar dressing such as Newman’s Own. (Or better yet, make your own.) Olive oil is also high in antioxidants.
