Salads may never be as popular in America as burgers and fries, but it's safe to say that they're an adored and integral part of many people's daily diets -- particularly those trying to eat healthy.
In fact, some 6 million bags of ready-to-eat salad are sold in the United States every day, and even McDonald's says it sold 80 million pounds of spring mix for its premium salads in 2005 to satisfy their salad-loving customers.
What makes a salad healthy? To start, choose red leaf lettuce, romaine or spinach instead of iceberg lettuce (which has few nutrients).
However, all salads are not equal when it comes to nutrition, and just because it has a little lettuce and is served in a bowl does not make it inherently healthy. So if you're eating salads in the interest of healthy eating, make sure you're not piling on these nutrition no-no's (and then check out the healthy and tasty alternatives that are A-OK to pile on).