New UCLA/Louisiana State University research is the first to blunt concerns about the human body’s ability to absorb needed nutrients from raw vegetables. Study of 17,500 adult men and women on various diets shows that consumption of salads and raw vegetables correlates with higher concentrations of folic acid, vitamins C and E, lycopene and alpha and beta carotene in the bloodstream.

“Increasing vegetable consumption is a wise strategy for composing a nutrient rich diet,” says Lenore Arab, visiting professor of epidemiology at the UCLA School of Public Health, who co-authored the study. In fact, “our findings suggest that eating just one serving of salad or raw vegetables per day significantly boosts the likelihood of meeting the recommended daily intake of certain nutrients.” Researchers used nutritional guidelines from the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences.

Source: www.ScienceDaily.com