In Part 1 of this salad series I cited a study that found that people who eat daily salads have increased levels of disease-fighting vitamins and antioxidants, specifically vitamin C, vitamin E, lycopene, and carotenoids.   Are cooked veggies as protective as raw salad veggies?

Of course!! The study likely looked only at salad and raw veggie intake because it was funded by The Association for Dressings and Sauces. Sell more salad, sell more salad dressing.  All fruits and vegetables are loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants unique to plant foods, and cooking even enhances the activity of some of these compounds, like the lycopene found in tomatoes.  While eating a salad-a-day is a great advice,  you will get plenty of health-promoting nutrients by eating a combination of fresh and cooked vegetables and fruits as well.

The best advice it so eat a variety of different fruits and veggies each week.  Take a peek at the chart produced by the Produce for Better Health Foundation, and you’ll notice that different colored fruits and veggies have different compounds.

Variety is truly the spice of life.  Incorporate a variety of colorful fruits and veggies into your diet and you’ll reap a variety of health benefits.  Need some ideas? Click here to download a list of 50 Ways To Add More Fruits and Veggies to Your Diet to your meals and snacks.

Stay tuned for Part 3 of this series to find out how many fruits and vegetables you need to eat each day to boost your levels of these important nutrients.