Average person eats 4 salads each week — but 14% use dressing as dip instead

NEW YORK — Is iceberg lettuce set to dethrone kale in your next salad?

A poll of 2,000 U.S. adults looked at the state of salad and revealed iceberg wins as the best salad base for 31 percent of Americans, while kale is the top choice for less than a quarter (23%).

The average American eats four salads every week, and 62 percent say the dish is part of their regular diet. While it’s a common meal, there are a lot of factors that go into creating the ideal salad.

What makes a perfect salad?

Commissioned by Fresh Express and conducted by OnePoll, the study discovered that 48 percent believe there’s such a thing as the “ultimate salad” and what it should include. According to respondents, the ultimate salad should be chopped (78%), tossed with dressing (60%), presented as a side dish (58%), and needs to be “loaded” with toppings (51%), such as fruit (57%) and roasted vegetables (52%).

Starting with the salad base: the ultimate salad should use iceberg lettuce (15%), spinach (14%), or romaine (13%) as the foundation. Next, it needs to include a crunchy topping like croutons (36%), walnuts (33%), or almonds (33%), along with a savory topping like eggs (46%), seeds (45%), or cheddar cheese (45%).

Then, it needs fruit or veggie toppings like tomatoes (18%), cucumber (17%), or carrots (16%), and should finish with the perfect dressing: balsamic vinaigrette (13%), blue cheese (12%), or ranch (11%).

Gen Z wants salad for dinner?

The survey also found salad preferences vary by generation. Gen Z, for example, opts for fruit like blueberries (22%) and strawberries (22%) as their preferred topping, while croutons are number one amongst millennials (43%), Gen X (47%), and boomers (43%).

Additionally, Gen Z thinks salad should be a main dish (56%) while all other generations consider it a side. Respondents add salads need to have an average of three toppings, with 69 percent stating no salad is complete without toppings. Likewise, 65 percent can’t have a salad without dressing.

Most like to either mix dressing into their salads (35%) or drizzle dressing on top of their salad (34%). Only 14 percent keep their dressing separate from their salads, using it as a dip. Meanwhile, the survey also uncovered the toppings that should never make an appearance on salads: seeds (32%), popcorn (29%), beans (28%), and rice (25%).

“People continue to eat at home more often but are feeling recipe fatigue. Salads are a great way to not only eat fresh, healthy, ingredients but also encourage variety in everyday meals,” says Fabian Pereira, vice president of marketing and innovation at Fresh Express, in a statement. “The base, toppings and dressing combinations are endlessly customizable. For those that want to keep mealtimes simple, salad kits are a great way to get everything in one convenient package.”

Ultimate Salad

Summer treat

The primary reasons people eat salads are to get all their veggie servings in one meal (27%), are a healthy option (24%), and are convenient to make (15%). Nearly a third (31%) say salads are the perfect lunchtime meal for them.

More than six in 10 (62%) note the toppings and greens they use depend on their nutritional value. Meanwhile, nearly as many (61%) say toppings and greens vary depending on the season. Summer, according to 43 percent, is the best season to eat salads, while winter comes in as the worst (5%).

“It’s great to see so much creativity and variety in the salads people make at home,” says Robin Bell, marketing manager at Fresh Express. “The survey showed people think there is an ‘ultimate salad,’ but we think any salad that is nutritious, delicious and convenient and gets people excited to eat more vegetables is the ultimate!”

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