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Why is salad good for intestinal health?

Jun 05, 2025 Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Shen Yonghua
Introduction
Salads contribute to intestinal health due to several factors, including being rich in dietary fiber, providing probiotic foods, promoting nutrient absorption, increasing satiety, and stimulating intestinal motility. Consuming salads in appropriate amounts as part of a regular diet is a good way to promote intestinal health. If intestinal health issues such as constipation or diarrhea have already occurred, it is recommended to adjust the diet and undergo treatment under a doctor's guidance.

Generally speaking, the reasons why salad contributes to intestinal health include being rich in dietary fiber, providing prebiotics, promoting nutrient absorption, increasing satiety, and stimulating intestinal motility. The specific details are as follows:

1. Rich in Dietary Fiber

Salads usually contain various vegetables and fruits that are rich in dietary fiber. Dietary fiber increases stool volume and moisture, promotes intestinal motility, aids bowel movements, and thus helps prevent constipation. Soluble fiber can also be fermented by beneficial bacteria in the gut, helping maintain a balanced intestinal microecology.

2. Providing Prebiotics

Some ingredients in salads, such as onions and garlic, contain prebiotics, which serve as food for probiotics. Prebiotics promote the growth and proliferation of beneficial bacteria in the gut, inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria, thereby improving the intestinal environment and enhancing intestinal immunity.

3. Promoting Nutrient Absorption

Fresh vegetables and fruits in salads are rich in nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. These nutrients help repair and renew the intestinal mucosa, improving the intestine's ability to absorb nutrients. At the same time, dietary fiber can bind to harmful substances in the gut and promote their elimination from the body, reducing harm to the body.

4. Increasing Satiety

Salads contain high levels of dietary fiber and water, which can increase satiety and reduce the intake of high-calorie, high-fat foods. This helps control weight and lower the risk of obesity, which is an important risk factor for various intestinal diseases.

5. Promoting Intestinal Motility

The dietary fiber in salads can stimulate the intestinal wall and enhance intestinal motility. This mechanical stimulation helps propel fecal matter through the intestines, reducing its retention time and lowering the risk of absorption of harmful substances by the intestines.

Incorporating an appropriate amount of salad into daily diet is a good way to promote intestinal health. If intestinal health problems such as constipation or diarrhea have already occurred, it is recommended to adjust the diet and seek treatment under the guidance of a doctor.

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