Salad Leaves

SALAD leaves are abundantly available at this time of year and should be eaten on a daily basis. There are so many to choose from: oak leaf lettuce, rocket, watercress, romaine, lamb's lettuce, chicory, beetroot leaves, spinach, mustard and cress greens to name but a few. There have been studies that show that a plateful (approximately 100-200g) of salad leaves can have a beneficial impact on overall health. This can be easily achieved by trying out the recipes given.

It is more beneficial to eat different salad leaves every day so that you get the full spectrum of the vitamins and minerals, along with the anti oxidants present in each one.

They all contain a good quantity of dietary fibre and nutrients which can boost microbial health, thereby having a positive effect on the overall health of the gut.

Some of the salad leaves have a significant amount of nitrates such as romaine and oak leaf lettuce, which can help towards reducing heart disease; if eaten on a daily basis.

Watercress was found to contain important anti oxidants that can help reduce DNA damage, thereby providing protection on a cellular level against cancer. Whereas spinach, as almost everyone has been made aware contains large amounts of iron that can help with blood health and also with helping to regulate blood pressure. But it is important to eat it with something containing Vitamin C to aid the body in absorbing it.

Each salad leave has its own benefit. Eating a variety each day will help you towards optimum health.