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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – There are over 400 fruits and vegetables available, but surveys show that the top selling are potatoes, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, onions and carrots. Branch out when you shop. Try some that are unfamiliar. Ready-to eat fruits and vegetables – cut-up melons, sliced pineapples, fresh fruit salads, celery and carrot sticks, trimmed and washed vegetables, and mixed salad greens are widely available. Many supermarkets offer well-stocked salad bars for a build-your-own salad. Be inventive.
The foundation of most salads is lettuce. Iceberg is crunchy and has a long refrigerator life, but so does romaine which has more vitamin C, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin K, beta carotene, lutein and potassium. Spinach is even more power packed. If you are an iceberg diehard, add some romaine or spinach for a nutrient punch.
Always try to add 4 or more “other” ingredients to your lettuce base to add color, taste and more nutrients. Cucumbers, tomatoes, red, green or yellow peppers, radishes, scallions, carrots and mushrooms are typical choices. But, why not cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, fresh peas, jicama, bean sprouts, or edamame? Try roasted red peppers, grilled vegetables, artichoke hearts, mushrooms in vinegar, or sun dried tomatoes to add a little zip.
Try fruits. Orange sections, grapes, melon, berries, sliced apples, pears, peaches and plums are a great change of pace and all supply an interesting contrast in taste. Dried fruits, particularly cherries, blueberries and cranberries are great salad accompaniments, as are good old-fashioned raisins. All are rich in antioxidants.
For a fiber boost add canned beans or cooked peas. Any variety you like will do the trick.
Go easy on olives, croutons, cheese, nuts, oil marinated vegetables and pasta. They add flavor but they are heavier in calories. A small portion is fine.
Salad dressings are not off limits but their calories can add up quickly. Try reduced fat or no fat choices. Use plain yogurt or fat free sour cream to make dressings creamy. Try the new salad spritzers which spray on flavor. If you use oil marinated vegetables or pasta, use that dressing to dress the entire salad. Full fat dressings are OK just keep the portions reasonable. Measure out the amount instead of pouring the dressing on. When eating out ask for dressing on-the-side so you can control the amount.
To make a salad into a meal add canned beans, sliced egg, tuna, sliced steak, chicken, shrimp, salmon or tofu. If you use cheese, go easy – an ounce or two is enough.
Consider this: a main dish Caesar salad (4 cups) has 734 calories and 51 grams of fat. Four cups of tossed salad without dressing has 44 calories and a trace of fat. Add chicken, an ounce of shredded cheddar and 4 tablespoons of reduced fat Italian dressing and this main dish salad equals 437 calories and 12 grams of fat. You choose.
© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of the nutrition counter series for Pocket Books with 12 current titles and sales in excess of 8 million books. The books are widely available at your local or on-line bookseller.
Current titles include:
The Calorie Counter, 5th Ed., 2010
The Ultimate Carbohydrate Counter, 3rd Ed., 2010
The Complete Food Counter, 3rd ed., 2009
The Fat Counter, 7th ed., 2009
The Healthy Wholefoods Counter, 2008
The Cholesterol Counter, 7th Ed., 2008
The Diabetes Carbohydrate and Calorie Counter, 3rd Ed., 2007
For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to The Nutrition Experts
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