Salad eaters more likely to get key nutrients

People who eat salads have higher serum levels of vitamins C and E, folic acid, and carotenoids, according to a large study of US adults that suggests these nutrients are well absorbed in the body from raw vegetables.

Researchers at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans based their findings on data from a federal health and nutrition survey of 17,688 US adults between 1988 and 1994. For the study, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, salad consumption was assessed based on intakes of salad, raw vegetables and salad dressing.

The study contributes to the existing body of research showing Americans are not getting enough fruits and vegetables and could serve as a roadmap for supplement formulators to target specific populations not getting enough of the nutrients in question.

“From this analysis we know that one extra serving of salad daily increased levels of a variety of nutrients,” concluded the authors led by Dr Joseph Su.

The data revealed consumption of salads or raw vegetables was 10 to 15 percent less among non-Hispanic African Americans than among non-Hispanic whites of the same age and sex.