antioxidants nutrients and natural cancer fighters so a wider variety exposes your body to a broader spectrum of protection to reap the benefits aim for at least two cups of veggies total with lots of different colors such as field greens red tomatoes purple cabbage orange bell peppers white onionand keep changing up the variety quicklist 3category 5 biggest salad mistakes youre makingtitle too little or too much faturltext like protein fat serves as one of the bodys building blocks fat is a major structural component of your cell membranes brain hormones and skin healthy fats also reduce inflammation boost satiety so you feel fuller longer and significantly up the absorption of fat soluble vitamins and antioxidants which hitch a ride with fat to get transported from your digestive system into your bloodstream a few years back researchers at iowa state looked at the absorption of key antioxidants when men and women ate salads with fatfree lowfat and full fat salad dressings they found that those who ate the fatfree dressing absorbed almost no antioxidants at all the reducedfat version upped the absorption but not as much as the full fat dressing important info but in your salad dressing isnt the only healthy way to include fat sometimes i crave a simple vinaigrette made with extra virgin olive oil balsamic vinegar minced garlic and dried italian herbs but ill often skip the oil to make room for sliced avocado or chopped nuts or ill toss my greens and veggies with olive tapenade or add oven roasted grilled or sauteed veggies that already have olive oil in the mix include some fat for surejust choose wisely and be mindful of your portions to prevent going overboard related good fats bad fats how to choose quicklist 4category 5 biggest salad mistakes youre makingtitle too little or too much starchurltext without any starch in a salad you may wind up burning the protein youve added for fuel which prevents the protein from being used for key maintenance and repair work to strike a healthy balance include a small portioneven just a third or half cup of a nutrientrich whole food carb source such as cooked chilled quinoa roasted organic corn or a cubed roasted red potato i find that for my clients this starch addition boosts satiety and energy in the hours after eating but its still a small enough portion to allow for weight loss in fact when ive had clients resist adding carbs and skip this step they typically seek out more snacks and wind up stalling weight loss if youre hesitant try it and see how your body responds related 12 foods that control your appetite quicklist 5category 5 biggest salad mistakes youre makingtitle not enough seasoningurltext when ive heard people complain about disliking salads its typically because theyve been eating very plain pairings like romaine with just oil vinegar and bland grilled chicken fortunately there are plenty of ways to spruce salads up and adding natural seasonings has been