Choosing the Best Vegetables and Lettuce for Salads

Many people are trying to eat healthier and in doing so are looking at increasing their vegetable intake. Some of them are experimenting with different salads to get some variety into their diets by using fresh vegetables. Fresh vegetables have more nutrients and vitamins in them than cooked vegetables do. Because many of the vegetables used for salad are just cleaned, not peeled, this preserves even more nutrients.

A chef salad, for instance, will have a large variety of raw vegetables such as celery, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, onions, and garlic. But is there one lettuce that is better to use than another? There may be a tomato, cabbage, or onion that is better than another, as well.

Iceberg lettuce seems to be one of the favorite lettuce to use for salads. Not only does it stay fresh longer, but it is a crisp, mild lettuce. Romain is another favorite to some; it has a slightly stronger taste, but will remain crispy and tends to have a sweet taste to it. When it comes to tomatoes, cherry tomatoes are one of the best tasting ones on the market today. They are sweet, crisp, and so good many people will eat the cherry tomato all by themselves. As far as onions, the tally of votes goes to the green onion; it is not hot, but adds nicely to a salad. Green and red cabbage are the most common types. Some people like to put in a bit of both. They say the red cabbage gives flavor and color to their salad. The choice of what is put in a salad come down to what the consumer prefers.