Salad is an effective way to diet due to the fact that lettuce is a fibrous carbohydrate. Fibrous carbs are foods such as leafy green vegetables like lettuce and broccoli that are filling, but don’t contain many calories. These are vastly different than starchy carbohydrates. Starchy carbs are foods like potatoes, rice, and breads that are much higher in calories. Since salad’s main ingredient is a low calorie, it is the perfect diet food.