Newswise — "Unfortunately no one is going to bail out your lackluster eating habits this spring. It's entirely up to you," says The Association for Dressings & Sauces (ADS). The Atlanta-based trade association of salad dressing and sauce manufacturers and suppliers encourages consumers to welcome spring while putting into place a healthy eating stimulus package.
According to a recent omnibus survey of 1,000 adult consumers, most American adults spend $20 or less per week on salad ingredients. Not too much to fork out when committing to a healthy eating regimen. Three fourths of survey respondents agree. They feel the prices of salads and salad ingredients is reasonable and even indicated their salad consumption would increase or remain the same in the future.
On average, consumers eat salads with dressing twice per week. The survey found 28% of respondents eat more salad at home now than one year ago. And 60% of respondents eat the same amount of salads now that they did one year ago. It seems a quest for good health is the main contributing factor for salad allegiance.
In addition, 75% of respondents consume salads made from scratch. The survey found common salad ingredients include tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, carrots, cheese, onions, bell peppers, spinach, bacon and celery.
And 60% of respondents agree salads are an inexpensive way to eat healthy. Even better - salads offer numerous health benefits and are a diet staple for anyone committed to developing a personal health stimulus package. As a matter of fact, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles and Louisiana State University published a study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association that found that those who eat salads, raw vegetables and salad dressing have considerably higher levels of vitamins C, E, B6 and folic acid, all key nutrients in promoting a healthy immune system. After hearing of this research, 28% of respondents said they will be increasing their consumption of salads.
To top it off, researchers from Iowa State University and Ohio State University published a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that showed eating salad vegetables with some added fat, such as full-fat salad dressings, promotes the absorption of lycopene, alpha- and beta-carotenes, all of which aid in the fight against cancer and heart disease. And the majority of salad dressings is and has always been free of trans fats.
For information about the research behind the health aspects of eating fresh vegetables and salad dressings, visit www.saladaday.org. You can also visit The Association for Dressings & Sauces on the web at www.dressings-sauces.org to incorporate the nutritional benefits of salads and salad dressings, and related recipes into your daily menu.
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