Study finds that salad eaters more than meet nutritional requirements

Monday, September 10, 2012 by: Raw Michelle
Tags: nutrition, salads, muscle

(NaturalNews) The standard dismissal by addicts of the western style diet is that salads are made up of rabbit food, and just as bird food is inadequate for the sustenance of a lion, salads are unsuitable for meeting the nutrient needs of humans.

But salad is decorative, for the color, right?

A study conducted on over 17500 men and women has conclusively demonstrated that the consumption of typical salad ingredients increases the incidence and concentration of several micronutrients in the bloodstream. These individuals experienced elevated levels of folic acid, vitamin C, vitmin E, lycopene, and beta carotene.

Because of these levels, researchers have calculated that both men and women have a far greater chance of meeting their daily recommended intake of vitamin C. While most people recognize that vitamin C is important, and that it comes from citrus fruits and dark green vegetables, many fail to recognize the pivotal role it plays in the functioning of many systems of the body.

Yes, those flimsy greens are needed to build strong muscle

Vitamin C, for example, is necessary for the absorption of iron. Without it, individuals can still suffer from iron-deficient anemia despite high intake levels of dietary iron. Anemia is particularly prevalent among women, who, in addition to the iron losses to those who menstruate, tend to consume fewer iron-rich foods, such as meats, for cultural reasons. The study showed the likelihood of women's vitamin C intake meeting recommended levels raised 165 percent.

Iron is in turn necessary for transporting oxygen through the blood for smooth functioning of the muscles and brain. Without readily available oxygen, nerve response time slows considerably, interfering with reflexes, fine motor skills, and cognitive functioning. It can also lessen the impact that the immune system has on bacteria and viruses, simply because it impairs mobility of resources to the area.

Cooking is necessary to make it digestible? False.

The study broke ground and defied the popular belief that the human body has such difficulty in absorbing nutrients from raw vegetation that it renders the practice useless. The uniform increase across the test group of select nutrients indicates the body's aptitude for their absorption.

Unfortunately, the researchers also concluded that the fact that nutrients don't help anyone who doesn't eat them, and that consumption of salad vegetables on a daily basis was extremely rare. The study took into consideration age, physical activity levels, smoking or medications, and health status. Participants were not held to a standardized diet, but were asked only to provide detailed reports of what they consumed. Even participants who ate some vegetables each day experienced a spike in nutrient levels.

Sources for this article include:

http://ph.ucla.edu

http://news.softpedia.com

http://www.healthy-food-site.com/Nutritional-Values-of-Vegetables.html

About the author:
Raw Michelle is a natural health blogger and researcher, sharing her passions with others, using the Internet as her medium. She discusses topics in a straight forward way in hopes to help people from all walks of life achieve optimal health and well-being. She has authored and published hundreds of articles on topics such as the raw food diet and green living in general. >>> Click here to see more by Michelle