Salad: Before or after a meal?

CEBU, Philippines – There's been some "controversy" as to when to eat vegetable salad - before or after a meal? The timing becomes an issue especially when dining out or in a fine-dining setting. It often raises eyebrows when someone begins to hit the vegetable salad "at the wrong time."

According to www.rendezvoustucson.com, salads - vegetable salads in particular - are usually served before a meal, as the first course. But for Italians and the French, salad is served after the main course, at the end of big formal meals; although at smaller and informal gatherings, they would have salad at the beginning.

Does it really matter when to actually eat the salad?

The French believes that salad at the end of each meal helps with digestion and the tasting of wine. Salad improves digestion after a meal. As for wine tasting, it is said that vinaigrette salad dressing makes the white wine sweeter and red wine stronger.

For the Americans, salad is eaten before or during a meal. Eating the salad first actually helps with weight control because you get to eat more vegetables and less of the main course. More especially if very hungry, one gets to eat more veggies if it's served at the beginning of the meal; thus, eating salad first can reduce caloric intake. Salad before a meal increases vegetable consumption by 23 percent. www.rendezvoustucson.com quotes the "Appetite" journal.

Overall, however, what really matters it to eat the salad. The vinaigrette is a good way to get vitamins and minerals as well as Omega 6 and Omega 3 into one's diet, so eating salad should be part of the daily meal plan. It is good for the body. Vegetables, in particular, added to a meal give the body more fiber and protein.

Perhaps better than arguing about the best time in a meal to eat salad is just to start eating salad. The following salad recipe from www.gmanetwork.com will surely help in getting into the habit. The ingredients are commonly available and quite inexpensive.

Alugbati Salad

Ingredients:

150 grams alugbati

4 pcs tomatoes, quartered

1 pc white onion, sliced thinly

2 pcs salted egg (itlog maalat), shelled and cubed

6 pcs dried danggit, fried and coarsely chopped

5 pcs calamansi (juice only)

50 ml olive oil

1 tbsp shrimp paste (Bagoong)

Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

• Clean and trim alugbati and steam for a few minutes.

• Mix the tomatoes, white onion, salted egg and crushed danggit.

• Make vinaigrette by mixing the olive oil, calamansi and bagoong in a bowl.

• Add salt and pepper.