News Taffy

As always, I try to encourage my readers to eat healthier foods. One confession that my husband hears over and over is that his patients don’t eat vegetables very often. Therefore, I am going to be harping on eating more fruits and vegetables in the coming months. I’m guessing that when people do cook, it is hard enough just to get some sort of main dish on the table and adding side dishes of fruits or vegetables is too much trouble. And when they go out for a meal, especially fast food, there aren’t many fruit or vegetable sides offered.

In the coming new year, go for some color in your life and add fruits and vegetables to your plate. Don’t you get tired of staring at a plate of brown - brown meat, bread, and potatoes? By skipping vegetables, you are missing out on so much nutrition and an easy way to improve your overall health.

Fear not, I am here to help with some fast and easy suggestions. A couple of weeks ago, I discovered my new obsession I’m going to share. It may sound strange but I can’t stop eating the new chopped salads the grocery stores are carrying! My favorite is Wal Mart’s Marketside Asian Salad, but you can find Dole’s version at Kroger locally. I am not talking about the salads that come with loads of cheese and fried meat, just the bagged, chopped salads that come with dressing and little bags of nuts or tortillas strips. My family and my sister agree that these salads really are good.

These wonderful salads are chock full of good nutrition. In 1 1/2 cups of salad with 1 1/2 Tbsp. of dressing, there are around 150 calories, 10 grams of fat (but only 1 1/2 grams of saturated fat), 2 grams of fiber, 3 grams of protein and 90% of your daily requirement of vitamin A!

There are several different types to choose from: Asian, BBQ, Italian and Southwest versions. You can add some additional protein to make these heartier. I added some canned black beans to my Southwest salad, (drained and rinsed!) and some roasted chicken to my daughter’s today for her lunch. A boiled chopped egg would also make a good addition of protein. I eat 1/2 a bag for lunch or serve it as a side at dinner. One word of caution: Don’t use the whole packet of dressing to save yourself some fat and sugar calories! Try to have salad with dressing, not a bowl of dressing with a little salad.

Since next Wednesday is Christmas and the following Wednesday is New Year’s Day, I want to wish everyone happy, healthy holiday with your loved ones! I will see you in the new year on January 8th!