15 Ways To Build A Healthier Salad

By Lisa Schweitzer for YouBeauty.com

Dining out? It's hard to get a more beautiful meal than a salad. They fill our bodies with nutrients we need to look and feel our best. But all too often, we make our salads ugly by topping them with ingredients that increase our risk for chronic disease as well as hurt our waistline. How can you keep the beauty in your salad and avoid the ugly? It's simpler than you think!

Start with brightly colored greens like arugula, romaine, spinach, endive or kale. How will you know that's the lettuce of choice? Ask the waiter. Having a conversation with your wait staff at any restaurant is the first step towards healthy eating. If you find out the salad is made mostly of iceberg lettuce (which has minimal nutritional value), ask them to swap something greener instead. From there, toppings can include anything from tomatoes and cucumbers to peppers and mushrooms -- whatever you wish that comes from nature! Some of the most beautiful ingredients will be those that have the brightest colors. Think beets, tomatoes, carrots, figs and cranberries (portion-controlled, of course).