How Green is Your Salad Bowl?

Darker is better when adding greens to a salad. Try these nutritious options for a crunchy, health-packed meal

Pastels are so right in summer wardrobes, but they're not when it comes to salads. To get the most nutrients in your salad bowl, health experts say you should opt for darker-colored ingredients.

"Start salads with dark greens as a base for more nutritional value than pale lettuce," says Karen Collins, a registered dietitian and nutrition adviser for the American Institute for Cancer Research, Washington, D.C.

Dark leafy greens are usually a good source for vitamins, especially folate, which promotes heart health and reduces the risk of birth defects, says Laura Palmer, a registered dietitian with the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service, West Lafayette, Ind.

Spinach, for example, has six times the folate as iceberg lettuce.

"Dark, leafy greens are usually packed with dietary fiber as well, and most Americans don't get their daily fiber intake [about 20 to 35 grams]," Palmer says.

Choose the right color and you also may protect your eyesight as you age, says Collins.

Watercress contains lutein, a substance that may reduce your risk of age-related macular degeneration, one of the major causes of blindness, according to Collins.

You don't have to limit your salad selection to leafy vegetables, however.

"Cruciferous vegetables [including broccoli and watercress] contain compounds that inactivate cancer-causing substances before they can damage cells and start cancer development," Collins says.

Healthfulness is one obvious advantage, but no one's going to eat dark leafy greens if they don't taste good. And that's another selling point: These vegetables are bursting with robust flavors.

If you're ready for the dark side, add one or more of these to the salad bowl: