Hi everyone I'm Monica Reinagle, the nutrition diva, and this week we're talking about how to build a better salad in six steps.

Whether you're packing lunch to take to work or cruising a salad bar

or putting together a no-cooked summer supper. A big salad can be the

healthiest meal of your day. But it's also possible for salads to miss the mark. If certain key ingredients are missing,

your salad may be little more than a bowl of chewable water that leaves your stomach

growling after 45 minutes.

But at the other end of the spectrum,

too many high calorie, low nutrition ingredients

can turn a salad into a dietary disaster.

So here's how to build a great salad, one that delivers lots of

good nutrition without too many calories and also keeps you satisfied until your

next meal.

Step one is to build a better base.

Now, you don't necessarily have to build your salad

on a bed of leaves if you don't want to.

But if you do, make sure that those greens are pulling their

weight.

In addition to the ubiquitous Romaine lettuce, mix in some more nutrient-dense options, such as arugla, spinach, baby kale, or even a handful of

basil, mint, or other fresh herbs. Step two is to add a rainbow. You want to add an assortment of colorful vegetables to your base.

Cucumbers and radishes are great for crunch and flavor, but if you really want to up the nutritional ante, go for shredded

carrots, red and orange peppers, tomatoes, scallions, mushrooms, and or cauliflower.

That's right, even though they are both very pale in color,

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