FitSugar -- Healthy, happy you.

Leafy Green Breakdown

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 10:15:00 -0700

When it is hot outside, I crave crisp, cooling salads. All those veggies and greens are refreshing and delicious, and since since they're in season you can find an amazing variety this time of year.

This got me thinking about leafy greens and whether there is a huge difference nutritionally between them. I know dark green spinach is much healthier than light-colored iceberg lettuce, but how much better?

Well I have broken it all down for you. Want to see the comparison? Then

How To Store Salad Greens

FitSugar — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 15:45:00 -0700

The vegetables of summer are amazing, making it so easy to eat healthy.

I love to buy baby lettuce and freshly harvested mesclun from local farmer's markets and vegetable stands. They taste amazing, and they're so crisp, but if you don't eat them within a couple of days, they can turn soggy and slimy.

Here's a great little trick I learned from a farmer friend on storing precious fresh salad greens:

Place greens in a plastic bag, close the top of the bag lightly with your fist, blow into the bag and fill it with air (carbon dioxide). Then seal the bag by twisting the top a few times before closing it firmly with a twisty-tie. Place it in the fridge and your greens are good to go.

Pretty simple, huh? The bag might take up a little bit more room in your fridge, but the loss of space is totally worth it. Your greens will stay bright, crisp and flavorful, so you can enjoy healthy salads all week long.

Fit's Tips: This tip works for all leafy greens - basil, parsley, cilantro, oregano, spinach, kale, and arugula.

Healthy Eating Tip: Make A Colorful Salad

FitSugar — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 07:30:00 -0700

One of the best things of summer is the food. So many of my favorite veggies are in season, so they are less expensive and tastier. This makes summer a great time to eat and make salads. Plus you don't have to turn on the stove.

To reap the most nutritional benefits from your salad you should add some color. Why limit yourself to just greens. Antioxidants often give color to food, so if you add a colorful array of veggies and fruits you will be covering your bases.

Here's a list of colorful vegetables to mix and match on top of your favorite greens:

fresh corn
chopped fresh herbs, like basil and dill
red, orange, and/or yellow peppers
tomatoes of any color (orange cherry tomatoes taste like candy!!!)
shredded carrots
red leaf lettuce
radishes
steamed green beans
radicchio
avocado
mango
berries (check out this recipe for Spinach and Strawberry Salad)
red cabbage chopped
green onions

Now, I would never put all those things in one salad, since I have a salad quirk where I usually limit my salad toppings to just 3 items. But in the summer, with so many veggies at the height of their season, I work through my quirk and sometimes can barely see the lettuce for all the wonderful ingredients I have added in.

I'd love to hear about your favorite summer salad combination. So tell me about it in the comments section below.

Healthy Meals Made Easy: Make a Big Salad

FitSugar — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 10:15:00 -0700

A great way to make sure you get your veggies for the week is to make one big salad. I'm more likely to eat a salad everyday if it's already made, as opposed to having to take time to make one everyday. Who has time for that?

It'll take about 30 min to an hour to buy all the stuff you need, and another 30 minutes to wash and cut everything up.

Here are some tips to make it go by even quicker:

Make a list of all the things you love in your salad including fresh veggies like carrots, cucumbers, yellow, green, orange, and red peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, and celery. Don't forget the fresh and dried fruit, nuts, flax seeds, and salad dressing as well. Having a list will help you remember everything. There's nothing worse than getting home and realizing you forgot the lettuce.
If you don't have a big huge plastic container with a lid, make sure to pick one of those up too.
Look for pre-washed lettuce in bags or plastic containers, and baby carrots. Buying these will save you a lot of time.

Want some more tips? Then

Taco Hell Continued

FitSugar — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 12:00:00 -0800

Just as I thought the Taco Bell Hell was coming to a hault, new reports are claiming that the E. coli contamination was not found in the green onions, as originally suspected, but possibly in the lettuce. While findings are not final, they are also looking at the cheese and ground beef.

While the lettuce is served in approximately 70 percent of all Taco Bell menu items, thought is that they should probably just focus on everything at this point.

White onions were also suspect at one point and health officials found the produce was contaminated with E. coli, but the strain was not the same as the one identified in the wider outbreak. Gross.

Interestingly enough, officials are still saying that the Taco Bell outbreak does not have anything to do with the Taco John E. coli outbreak.

As of Wednesday evening, the Center for Disease Control had reported 71 confirmed cases of E. coli infection in five states. New Jersey had 33 confirmed cases; New York had 22; Pennsylvania had 13, Delaware had two, and South Carolina had one.

Moral of the story? Stay away from taco joints right now.