4 Herbs for High-Powered Salad

Turn your salad into an overachieving super salad by adding fresh herbs and spices.

Fresh herbs add extra cell-protecting phenols to salads. To boost the nutrition in your bowl -- and your belly -- add sage, rosemary, marjoram, and thyme. In a recent study, these herbs added the most antioxidants to a salad (fresh marjoram leaves more than doubled the antioxidant value). For spices, cumin soared up the salad chart. Second to cumin: fresh ginger.

Which vegetables pack the strongest antioxidant punch? Artichoke, beetroot, broccoli, garlic, a variety of leek, a type of radish, and spinach were top produce picks in a recent study. Adding onions also upped the antioxidant ante.

Dressing gives you another opportunity to increase the antioxidant quotient of your salad. Extra-virgin olive oil shines brightest. For a healthful and low-fat alternative, try apple or wine vinegars.

What about the leaves? Try some crunchy (and slightly bitter) red chicory with your romaine. Its pigments contain antioxidant flavonoids. Find more flavonoids sources here.

Need more antioxidant sources? Check out this unusual way to get them.

Bottom line: When it comes to your salads, skip the garden variety and spice it up.

Recipe Corner
For a refreshing salad with a kick, try this recipe from EatingWell: Citrus-Cumin Splash. Find more recipes at EatingWell.com.

Antioxidant capacity of vegetables, spices and dressings relevant to nutrition. Ninfali, P. et al., British Journal of Nutrition 2005 Feb;93(2):257-266.