Instructions: With such latitude, its simple to create a side dish that is bright and appealing or a main-dish salad overflowing with fresh, flavorful produce.

You cant beat easy-to-make salads for nutritious food.

To build a healthy salad that includes a full serving of nutrition, including protein, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins and minerals, use these tips: Start with a base of fresh greens. Iceberg is fine, but with greens, the darker the better. Darker greens such as spinach, kale, mustard greens and chicory are the best choice for nutrition.

Try something with a little more body, such as romaine, arugula, endive, radicchio or a combination of zesty greens.

Think rainbow. You often can add nutrition as well as color with ingredients such as red peppers, carrots, corn, cauliflower, mushrooms and broccoli.

Color your daily diet with bright oranges, deep reds, dark greens, rich blues and purples and sunshine yellow. The more colors you see on your plate or in your lunch bag, the more health-promoting properties you are getting from your choices and the more likely you are to eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Add carbohydrates with pasta and grains.

Beans add fiber. Load up on garbanzos, black beans, kidney beans, lentils, etc.

Fruit adds a light, bright touch and great low-fat nutrition.

Nuts and seeds add flavor and crunch, plus protein, fiber and "good" fat, including omega-3s.
For extra zest, color and flavor, add marinated products such as canned olives, pickles or pimientos.

To create a main-dish salad, add poultry, cheese, beans or nuts to provide protein. Seafood such as salmon and tuna provides protein and omega-3s.

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