salads

Salads must be a part of everybody's diet and should be served at both meals throughout the year. In India, salads are not so popular and are restricted only to a few vegetables eaten raw, with or without dressing.

Salads should be made popular as they make an invaluable contribution of vitamins and minerals in ones diet. Also, they provide fiber and add color to the meal. Salads are of advantage to the numerous dieters who look out for low fat dishes. Eating good amount of salad (with low calorie dressings) avoids the danger of overeating and decreases the desire for a dessert.

What comprises a salad?

Salads are made up of vegetables, fruits, milk and milk products, pulses, meat, poultry, fish, eggs or even cereals (in the form of macaroni or spaghetti). They are normally served cold but can be served hot or frozen. Usually they accompany the main course, but can be a meal by itself.
There are four basic parts to a salad:

1. The base or the underliner: These include greens, which are either shredded or in large pieces.
2. The body or heart of the salad: This forms the major component and can be a single ingredient or a combination of ingredients.
3. The dressing: Dressings make the salad more flavorful. It includes ingredients like lemon juice, vinegar, mayonnaise, salad oil, olive oil etc.
4. The garnish: Garnish enhances eye appeal. It should be carefully selected such that it is contrast in color with the dressing

How to toss a salad?
There are certain rules to follow when tossing a salad. There are sound nutritional reasons for each of these rules.

1. Make sure the ingredients are free from clinging drops of moisture. This prevents the nutrients and flavors from passing into the water clinging to the surface.
2. The salad oil must be added first.
3. The leaves must be so well tossed that each surface glistens with oil before lemon juice or vinegar and seasonings are added.

The purpose of the second and the third step is to allow the oil to seal the surfaces from oxygen, which can destroy vitamins, and from moisture, which can soak out vitamins, minerals and flavor. The oil coating also distributes and holds seasonings and prevents salt from drawing moisture out of the ingredient.
So make the perfect tossed salad by applying these simple rules. 

Salad with a caution:

After such a carefully prepared salad there is some more to note about: The salad dressing...While lemon juice, olive oil,vinegar in moderation are good source of salad dressing, mayonnaise; salad oils; labelled salad dressing    are sure to avoid sources as it contains more calories than the salad itself.

The biggest pitfall with a salad is ruining a veggie-filled meal with hundreds of calories in dressing. Check the label, Oftentimes the dressing with a salad at a restaurant has more calories than a candy bar. Order dressing on the side, You should not be putting more than 60 calories of dressing on a salad.