What happens to your body when you eat salads regularly?

Medically reviewed by Roxana Ehsani, RD

Key Takeaways

• Eating a salad every day can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
• The fiber in salads can help improve blood sugar levels and lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.
• Eating salads regularly is associated with higher levels of key nutrients such as vitamins A, C, and K, which support overall health.

Consuming five servings of fruits and vegetables is associated with a host of health benefits, from improved nutrition to reduced risk of chronic disease. If you eat salads regularly, you’ll improve your cardiovascular health, get more nutrient intake, and may find yourself with a healthier digestive system.

1. Your Heart Health Improves

Even a small salad—with about 1 cup of leafy greens like lettuce or spinach—can help improve heart health, if you eat it regularly. A long-term study of more than 53,000 people followed for 23 years found that eating a salad per day reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by 12% to 26%.

Choose olive oil-based dressings for heart health benefits. Skip salad additions that are deep-fried (like fried chicken, tortilla strips, or wontons), as well as processed meats like bacon or salami.

2. Your Blood Pressure May Lower

One possible reason for the drop in cardiovascular disease is that people who eat leafy greens regularly often have lower blood pressure. Vegetables contain healthy nitrates. Your body converts those into nitric oxide, which can help lower blood pressure.

3. Your Risk for Diabetes May Decrease

Eating a salad every day can help improve your blood sugar levels and may even reduce your risk of diabetes. The fiber found in salads can help your body process glucose (sugar) more effectively. That may explain why eating a diet rich in vegetables can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 50%.

4. Your Cholesterol May Improve

High cholesterol is associated with a host of negative health impacts, including heart disease and stroke. Eating a salad—or other vegetable-based dishes—is one way to lower your cholesterol and reduce your risk of those complications.

One study followed participants who ate 400 grams (about 2 cups) of vegetables (including salad) each day for three weeks. At the end, they saw a “significant reduction” in total cholesterol.

5. Your Weight May Change

Salads have plenty of health benefits beyond weight loss—but eating them regularly may also help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Salad consumption is linked to reduced risk for obesity.

In addition, eating a salad with or before a meal may lower your risk of overeating, according to an older study that found people who consumed a salad ate 11% fewer calories.

6. You May Protect Your Brain Health

Salads aren’t just good for the body—they’re good for the mind too. Eating a serving of leafy greens each day can help slow cognitive decline as you age. That’s according to a study of 960 people ages 58 to 99 who were followed for nearly five years. The impact is likely due to nutrients such as vitamin K, lutein, folate, and others.

7. Your Bowel Movements May Be More Regular

If you often experience constipation, salads can help relieve your symptoms. The vegetables in salads are rich in fiber, which is critical not only for forming and moving stools but also for overall gut health.

Increasing salad intake can help relieve constipation, but be sure to avoid fatty cheeses and dressings, which can worsen it.

8. You’ll Improve Your Vitamin and Nutrient Intake

Eating salads regularly is linked to a better overall diet, including more vitamins and nutrients. People who eat salads are more likely to have higher levels of key nutrients, including vitamins A, B6, C, E, K, folate, choline, magnesium, and potassium. Getting the recommended daily intake of those nutrients can help improve your overall health. 

9. You May Live Longer

Eating more fruits and vegetables may even help you live longer. Research shows that eating more than 200 grams of fruits and vegetables (about a cup), is linked with a reduction in all case mortality, meaning death from any causes.

Increased fruit and vegetable consumption is associated with reduced risk for chronic diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. The more fruits and vegetables you eat, the greater the benefit.

Read the original article on Verywell Health