Health & Fitness

The Ultimate Salad

The right ingredients can turn a little tossed salad into a 90 mph fastball of fitness. Here’s how to maximize the muscle in your next meal.

If a colorful diet is a healthy one, it’s easy to see why the rainbow below is a potential lifesaver. Sure, Centrum is fine in a pinch, but the best way to get your essential vitamins and antioxidants is straight from the source. A recent study conducted by the Louisiana State University School of Public Health found that men who eat a salad a day are more likely to get their recommended daily intake of many essential nutrients. What’s more, the study authors note that men who eat more than 60 grams of vegetables a day increase their life span by two years. This nutrient-filled smorgasbord is not only great for you, but it will also leave you feeling as if you’ve eaten a real meal.

Spinach
One cup of spinach gives you 58 micrograms (mcg) of folate. According to a study in the journal Stroke, consuming at least 300 mcg of folate a day reduces your risk of having a stroke by 20 percent and decreases your risk of developing heart disease by 13 percent. Other studies have found that folate helps protect against both Alzheimer’s and cancer.
other nutrients: fiber, protein, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, calcium, and potassium
disease-fighting power: heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, diabetes, weight gain, hypertension, and depression

Broccoli
You get 294 milligrams (mg) of potassium in just three spears. According to Mayo Clinic researchers, potassium counteracts the effects of sodium by dilating blood vessels and increasing the amount of sodium excreted in your urine, thus lowering blood pressure and protecting against stroke.
other nutrients: calcium, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, and lutein and zeaxanthin
disease-fighting power: heart disease, hypertension, cancer, osteoporosis, macular degeneration, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and weight gain

Red Kidney Beans
A quarter cup of red kidney beans gives you 6,630 ­disease-fighting antioxidants, plus a full 3 grams of fiber. According to the American Dietetic Association, dietary fiber lowers blood cholesterol levels and helps normalize blood glucose and insulin levels, decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes.
other nutrients: protein and folate
disease-fighting power: heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s

Yellow Bell Peppers
Four strips of yellow bell pepper provide 48 mg of free-radical-fighting vitamin C (free radicals are rogue molecules that can damage cells and lead to cancer). According to a study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, levels of
C-reactive protein—a blood marker for inflammation linked to heart disease—can be decreased by 24 percent if you consume 500 mg of vitamin C a day. Plus, nutrition researchers from Arizona State University reported that vitamin C can help with weight loss by assisting in fat oxidation, or the body’s ability to burn fat.
other nutrients: vitamin A, vitamin B6, folate, and potassium
disease-fighting power: heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, weight gain, and hypertension

Swiss Cheese
Four cubes of Swiss cheese provide 476 mg of calcium and 26 IU of vitamin D. In a 20-year study, British researchers determined that men who consume more than 67 IU of vitamin D and 190 mg of calcium a day have half the risk of stroke of men who consume less. Vitamin D has also been associated with a decrease in the risk of pancreatic, prostate, and testicular cancers. A study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that men with higher blood levels of vitamin D had a 17 percent reduction in total cancer incidence and a 29 percent reduction in total cancer deaths.
other nutrients: protein and vitamin B12
disease-fighting power: osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and stroke

Carrots
Carrots are one of the richest sources of pro–vitamin A carotenoids, plant compounds that provide color and function as antioxidants. Just a quarter cup of shredded carrots provides 2,279 mcg of beta-carotene and 4,623 IU of vitamin A. According to a study in the journal Thorax, beta-carotene can slow the age-related decline of lung power. Vitamin A has also been shown to improve vision, bone growth, and cell division; help regulate the immune system; and decrease the risk
of lung cancer.
other nutrients: vitamin C, vitamin K, fiber, and potassium
disease-fighting power: cancer, osteoporosis, weight gain, and hypertension