Greek salad must be half decent if it’s often considered one of the national dishes of Greece, right? Where I’m from our national dish is chips, cheese and gravy. This doesn’t really fit with my nutritionist profile, maybe I should move to Greece. Catch me on the beach with a Greek salad and a cocktail – balanced lifestyle goals. 

 

Enough waffling, the real question is: are there actually any health benefits of eating a Greek salad?

 

“iT’s fuLL oF fAts, So nO”

Karen (2023) while drinking her third detox juice of the day

 

Well, Karen, not all fats are bad and, as we’ll see, fats are vital for human function and health. The nutrient-dense foods that make up Greek salads can help us in a variety of ways, read on to find out the health benefits of Greek salad.

 

Health Benefits of Greek Salad

 

Greek salad is a nutrient-dense dish packed full of fresh vegetables, providing a healthy dose of vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients. Let’s break down the most 5 most common ingredients of a Greek salad and look at their health benefits:

 

1. Cucumbers 

 

These are basically big, green sticks of water – 96% of a cucumber is water, the highest percentage of any food (1). Obviously, then, the high water content means they are great for keeping us hydrated but they do possess some other benefits. A review (2) in 2012, carried out by some serious cucumber nerds, looked at the phytochemical and therapeutic effects of cucumber. They reported that cucumber may have some anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory effects (although a lot of the studies were on animals so we can’t directly apply this to humans).  They also reported that cucumbers are great for soothing skin irritations and can help with sunburn! 

 

 

2. Tomatoes 

 

80% of commercially grown tomatoes are consumed through processed products like tomato sauce – this often takes away their anti-inflammatory properties. In a Greek salad, we utilise the power of the raw, untampered tomato. Tomatoes get a lot of their lovely, red colour from something called lycopene but it provides much more than just looks – lycopene has been proposed to possess some powerful anti-cancer properties. The powerful antioxidants in lycopene can help scavenge free radicals, these are unstable atoms that can cause damage to cells (3). Lycopene’s anti-inflammatory effects can help us fight against these free radicals, helping us maintain immune system function and reduce the risk of health problems.

 

A recent review (4) discusses how lycopene doesn’t just act on a single pathway in our body, it could be involved in many anti-cancer mechanisms, some of which we still don’t fully understand yet. We do understand that it’s probably a good idea to chuck some fresh tomatoes in your salad!

 

3. Green Pepper

 

Typically, sliced green peppers are used in a Greek salad but I’m sure the Greeks will let us off if we use another type (don’t quote me on this though!). Bell peppers are a great source of vitamin C – in fact, one medium bell pepper contains a whopping 169% of our daily reference intake for vitamin C (4). They also contain vitamin B (B6 to be precise), vitamin K and vitamin E amongst other key vitamins.

 

4. Olives and Olive Oil

 

Olives, particularly Kalamata olives, are a great addition to a Greek Salad. Olive oil is often used as part of a tasty dressing  – usually extra virgin olive oil is combined with fresh lemon juice, red wine vinegar and dried oregano. We see the use of olive oil in a lot of Greek cuisine and for good reason, olive oil is largely made up of a type of fat called monounsaturated fatty acids. Now, don’t panic (and don’t listen to Karen from earlier), these are healthy fats that have been shown to be super beneficial for us. 

 

Olive oil was considered by the ancient Greeks to be an ‘elixir of youth and health’, there are countless studies which have reported the beneficial effects of olive oil, particularly on heart health. 

 

In fact, one study in 2014 (5) stated that individuals who consumed more olive oil had a 48% reduced risk of cardiovascular mortality. The authors found an association between increased olive oil (especially extra virgin) consumption and decreased cardiovascular events. In other words, when they looked at people who consumed high amounts of olive oil (around 56g per day in this group) compared to individuals who consumed low amounts (around 21g per day in this study), the people in the “high” group were much less likely to suffer from a cardiac event like heart attacks. Amazingly, the authors also found that increasing olive oil consumption by just one tablespoon per day resulted in a 16% decreased risk of cardiovascular mortality. Call me a nerd but I find these results fascinating! 

 

 

5. Red Onions

 

Red onions contain significant amounts of something called “anthocyanin” which gives them their distinctive colour. The antioxidant properties of anthocyanin, much like lycopene in tomatoes, help scavenge those pesky free radicals and reduce oxidative stress (6). Some studies suggest that anthocyanin can lower cholesterol, precisely a type of cholesterol called “LDL” – LDL cholesterol can build up in our bodies and cause plaque to develop in our arteries which leads to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. 

 

One study (7) showed a 25.5% reduction in LDL cholesterol in patients with high levels of cholesterol who were in the treatment group (2 capsules of concentrated berries per day, the berries were originally foraged fresh from the forests of Asalem in the mountain chains of Alborz in the north of Iran – don’t worry you can just pop to your local supermarket – the point is these capsules were high in anthocyanin due to the berries). In contrast, the placebo group results showed an increase in LDL over the 4 week study period. Greek salads typically involve sliced, raw onions which add that extra dose of anthocyanin!

Bringing The Dish Together

 

When we bring all the main ingredients together, we are left with a healthy dish that is high in dietary fiber which helps our digestive system, packed full of antioxidants and, above all, is tasty! A Greek salad is a great meal to incorporate into a healthy diet – it can be low in calories to help with weight loss or simply enjoyed as part of a balanced lifestyle.

Oh, I forgot to mention feta cheese – how could I? Although there aren’t much health benefits to feta, a Greek salad isn’t complete without adding some delicious, creamy chunks of  cheese heaven on top!