Superpower Your Salad

Salad is pretty healthful to start with, to be sure. But not all salads are created equal. (Case in point: iceberg lettuce with ranch dressing. Wimpy!)

So follow these four simple steps for making sure you up the antioxidant ante for all your garden greens:

1. Dress for Success
Dress your salad with an olive oil-based dressing. This good fat helps you absorb the nutrients in the salad. Mix the oil with apple or wine vinegars for extra antioxidants. Try this dressing from Eating Well:

Roasted Garlic Dressing

2 heads garlic
1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup wine or cider vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Pull off excess papery outside skin from garlic without separating the cloves. Slice 1/2 inch off the top of each head. Wrap individually in aluminum foil. Roast for 40 minutes, or until the garlic is very soft. Unwrap the garlic and cool slightly. Separate the cloves and peel.

2. Combine garlic cloves, broth, vinegar, oil and mustard in a food processor or blender; blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Nutritional Information: Per 2-tablespoon serving: 59 calories; 4 g fat (1 g sat, 3 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 6 g carbohydrate; 1 g protein; 0 g fiber; 28 mg sodium; 72 mg potassium. 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving

Make-Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Download this recipe.

2. Herb It Up
Lemon balm and marjoram can increase a salad’s antioxidant capacity by 150–200 percent! You can sprinkle cumin, fresh ginger, and thyme on your salad, too. Here’s Eating Well’s quick and easy instructions for herbing up the olive oil:

Herbed Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 tablespoons fresh chopped herbs (such as thyme, rosemary, marjoram or chives)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Combine herbs, salt and oil in a small bowl.

Nutritional Information: Per tablespoon: 128 calories; 14 g fat (2 g sat, 11 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 0 g carbohydrate; 0 g protein; 0 g fiber; 295 mg sodium; 12 mg potassium.

What you get: Heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and 0 carbohydrate servings.

Download this recipe.

3. Vary Your Veggies
Artichokes, beetroot, broccoli, garlic, leeks, radishes, spinach, and onions were the chart-topping antioxidant-rich veggies in a recent study -- though they’re not everyone’s favorites. Make sure the vegetables you eat the most are the most nutritious veggies you can eat.

If you're a broccoli lover, you've picked a winner. From a list of 10 of the most commonly consumed vegetables in the country, broccoli holds the top spot for having the most phytochemicals -- compounds everyone's urged to consume because they protect against chronic diseases. At the bottom of the list? Cucumbers, described by some people as "water you can eat."

The 9 runners-up to broccoli were spinach, yellow onions, red peppers, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, lettuce, celery, and cucumbers.

Red peppers actually beat out broccoli in terms of having the highest levels of antioxidants.

The same researchers also have rated 10 of the most popular fruits. Cranberries -- with the most phytochemicals and the most antioxidants -- topped that list, followed by apples, red grapes, strawberries, peaches, lemons, pears, bananas, oranges, grapefruit, and pineapple.

Food scientists aren't ranking veggies just to satisfy their curiosity—they’re contemplating a bioactivity index (BI) for dietary cancer prevention to help grocery shoppers quickly spot the fruits and veggies that have the biggest health benefits.

4. Branch Out . . .
. . . with new leaves. Some colorful red chicory or purple cabbage, for example, will add crunch to your salad -- as well as extra antioxidants.

Try this refreshing Arugula-Mushroom salad, chock-full of the good stuff we need:

Arugula-Mushroom Salad
A creamy garlic dressing is a nice foil for peppery greens. Can substitute watercress for arugula.

1 clove garlic, peeled
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
6 cups arugula leaves
2 cups sliced mushrooms

Toss together, serve.

Nutrition Information:
Per serving: Calories: 62; Carbohydrates: 3g; Fat: 4g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3g; Protein: 2g; Cholesterol: 1mg; Dietary Fiber: 1g; Potassium: 235mg; Sodium: 188mg
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (15% daily value).

Download this recipe.

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