Are salads healthy? Well, the answer to that is yes….and no. They can be very healthy depending upon the vegetables used, a person’s digestive system and gut health, and how each person reacts to certain vegetables. For example, I do not do well with raw spinach. Many people don’t. Same with raw kale . It is important to eat some salads but you need to find out which vegetables go well with your system. For many people, including elderly people, raw vegetables can be hard to digest. The Chinese medicine considers raw foods to slow down digestion because they are cold and cool down the digestive process. They give the example of a fire. If you add good fuel, it burns well. If you throw in cold or wet things, it stops the fire. Digestion is like a fire. It needs the right fuel to burn well or else it can slow down the digestion and even cause diarrhea or other issues. So in general, if the weather is extremely hot, some raw foods are good. In winter or cold weather, we need less raw foods and we do better with lightly cooked or steamed or even baked vegetables. Sometimes one type of salad goes very well with a particular person and then that is fine to have every day if you like. Each one is different.
Grated salads are good as well because they break down the fibers a bit.
Finely chopped things like cabbage make digestion easier.
So yes, salads can be healthy but never feel guilty if you are not eating a salad every day. As long as you eat a balanced diet with adequate vegetables, some fruits and a variety of foods, you are getting good nutrition.
Someone with ulcerative colitis, for example, cannot eat raw foods too much as it irritates the colon. So everyone’s situation is different. Soups are a good way to incorporate vegetables and get good nutrition also.