The foundation for a healthy salad is dark leafy greens, really dark. The blunt truth is that pale green, not-very-crunchy iceberg lettuce is tasteless. Plus, there’s only one gram of fiber per cup. And a primary, not-always-discussed-enough reason for eating salads is fiber.

I’m told one local dietary counselor suggests, "don’t eat anything that doesn’t have seven to eight grams of fiber per serving." That seems a little extreme to me, but since I heard that remark, the concept is staying in my mind and probably prompting me to make smarter food choices. (We need 20-30 grams of fiber a day and most of us get far less. More about that later.)

If I fill my plate with two cups of really colorful greens (spinach, arugula, radicchio, oak leaf lettuce), that’s four grams of fiber and loads of vitamins A and C, folate (a B vitamin, actually) and calcium. But that’s just the beginning.

My summer salad has lots of cherry tomatoes (five tomatoes, 18 calories). It has no cucumbers, because they’re mostly water with minimal vitamin content and besides, I don’t like them. I’ll add a fair quantity of mushrooms, even though they don’t have much nutritional value either. They’re low in calories and give salad that meaty flavor.

Final additions: grated onion, shredded carrots, a few kidney beans, a chunked apple, some walnuts and a little feta. Add some lemon zest and I’m ready to eat. The olive oil and balsamic vinegar will wait until just before I put that first healthy, fiber-filled bite into my mouth.

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I’m feeling adventurous, so I’ll garnish with edible flowers (pansies). It’s turned out quite well, this salad of mine. Healthy, and beautiful too. (Now there’s a goal.)

It’s been reported by the National Restaurant Association, and those folks know these things, that women choose to have a salad for lunch more often than any other food. But sometimes those salads have so many calories and fats (cheeses, peppers in oil, heavy dressings) that another menu choice would actually be smarter. I’m ever on the lookout for smarter eating approaches. Low-calorie, fiber-filled fruits and vegetables in a bowl with a pansy atop seem like a good place to start.

There’s a long list of health-related reasons for filling up with fiber. Research indicates it can play a significant role in managing cholesterol and averting heart disease. Fiber (remember to drink lots of water, too) has been found to be a factor in preventing gastrointestinal diseases and cancer. And a friend of mine swears fiber helped her achieve her not-to-go-unnoticed weight loss.

I’m eating my salad now, and it’s quite good, actually. This is a remarkably healthy, nutrient-dense meal I’ve created; it contains more than 10 grams of fiber and less than 350 calories.

Delicious. I’m adding a little more Granny Smith apple now. Yes, quite delicious. Healthy aging — one salad at a time.

Sharon Johnson is an assistant professor in family and community development at OSU Extension and a member of the Senior Advisory Council. Reach her at s.johnson@oregonstate.edu.