How much should a salad weigh?

      My salad weighed a pound today.  In Phase 2 of Eat For Health, Dr. Fuhrman recommends eating a pound of fruit and a pound of vegetables daily.

       Today's salad was a spinach and lettuce salad with strawberries, mandarin oranges, feta and walnuts.  I was full after I ate it, so I waited to make the rest of my lunch, which was a 2 egg veggie omelet with 2 cups of broccoli, cauliflower, chopped tomato & a tiny bit of grated cheese.  I forgot to weigh it because the missionaries came to the door right then.  But if I add in the apple and blueberries I had with breakfast, & the half banana snack, I know I've had at least 2 lbs of fruits and vegetables today.  And I'll have more with dinner. 

       As always, dinner is my challenge.  I have 6 other people to please. Nearly impossible! But I keep trying and every once in a while I get lucky.  Tonight will be spaghetti, french bread, steamed vegetables, carrot sticks and salad.  I'm thinking ice cream with strawberries on top for dessert.  (I'll probably pass on the ice-cream and do a green smoothie.)

       In some future post I think I'll take the time to weigh all my fruits and veggies in a day.  It could be over 3 pounds. That sounds like a lot of produce!

       Does anyone else eat this much produce or am I a freak of nature?  Don't answer that.  OK, do, but be kind.

Do You Have to Eat More to Get Full on Good Real Food?

A question from GRF reader Michelle:

Do you find that you have to eat more to get full when you're eating 'good real' food?  

Sometimes I find myself making a relatively healthy meal and then adding stuff like Stove Top as a filler. Maybe I just need to add another vegetable instead.

Answer: No and Yes

No, I do not find myself eating more calories.  But Yes, definitely I am eating a lot more vegetables than what I used to think was a normal serving. 

For example, a salad to me was a small bowl with some iceberg lettuce and a few tomato wedges and shredded carrots.  Who would want to eat that with all that other stuff on my plate to choose from?  When I say salad now, I mean a LARGE salad.  I’m talking, get out the Tupperware and fill it up with spinach, lettuce, berries, nuts, and cheese or meat or beans for protein.

Brett, my husband, said to me last week. “You know, that used to be a salad for the whole family.” Now I make two big salads- one is for the rest of the family to share and one is all mine. (I promise I'm not being selfish, I'd make theirs bigger if they'd actually eat it.)  If my meal is going to be just a salad, I make sure it has some protein in it to keep me full (chicken, beans, cheese, nuts) or I'll eat it with a large slice of whole wheat bread or Cowboy Caviar.  I look forward to my salad.  Getting hungry just typing this!

While planning and preparing dinner I have to chop a lot more vegetables than I used to.  I make enough to fill half our plates with vegetables, so we can easily eat an entire head of cauliflower at dinner.  I have found though, that my family will eat more vegetables if there is a variety instead of just one type.  You know, because they’ll serve themselves some of each.  So that’s a good strategy for getting more veggies in.

Instead of Stove Top, you could try some wild rice pilaf (Winco has some in bulk that you make with a can of broth), a baked sweet potato, whole wheat rolls, something with beans like Cowboy Caviar, or just add another vegetable like you said, or a fruit. It’s a good idea to have both raw and steamed veggies on the menu, even if you just add carrot sticks or cut up some apples.  Keep it simple!

Other posts you might find helpful: Which Lettuce is Healthiest?

Get Healthy with Small Changes

Thanksgiving weekend was not kind to me.  I think it was the coconut cream pie that did me in. Or maybe it was the pan of Peanut Butter Fingers that I made because my son begged.  I have the best recipe for Peanut Butter Fingers that I’ve ever seen out there. Courtesy of an ex-lunch lady.  I’ll do you a favor and not share it.  (Unless you want me to, but you’ll be sorry.)  That was probably the reason I gained 2 ½ pounds that week. 

One thing I’ve learned about sugar is that I can be doing so great, not craving sweets at all, then go overboard one day and bam! I want more and more.  Before I know it I’ve eaten half a pan of something. And it takes me a few days to get back to craving healthy foods again.  But I think I’m there. 

I’ve talked about small changes that make a big difference.  Since you need to do more than talk about changes, let's decide to actually do something!  Set a goal to make a change in the way you eat.  And then DO IT!

Here are some things I'm doing to get back on track.

  Small changes that make a big difference:

*  Soup Day.  Make soup once a week and make sure it’s one with lots of veggies.  I like soup because I can make enough for leftovers.  Plan your soup day for the day after a roast or chicken.  Just sauté some onions and chopped veggies, add broth, maybe some pasta and the leftover meat.  A little bit of meat goes a long way and makes a good soup. On soup days all I do is thaw some frozen rolls in the afternoon.  I love easy!

*  Add a smoothie.  There are all kinds of smoothie recipes on line.  Start with something safe that you know you’ll like and then experiment.  Smoothies are the best way to sneak some spinach in.  My favorite Green Smoothie is on my Healthy Recipes page.

*  Try one new salad each week.  If you make this goal, plan ahead! You’re not going to do it if all you have is lettuce in the fridge.  You can add fruit, beans, chicken, salsa, peas, seeds, berries, etc. to your salad. Maybe not all at the same time.  Then you’ll need a few different dressings.  Try something new.  There’s only so much you can do with Ranch Dressing.   Need some ideas?  Trainer Momma is the queen of salads. I think last time I looked she had 28 salads on her recipe page. You need to go there.

So there are a few ideas.  Anything you’d like to add?  I’m always open to suggestions and ideas.  What works for you?

Which lettuce is healthiest?

Go with Romaine! The greener the better! It’s loaded with more Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Potassium and other vitamins than iceberg, green or red leaf lettuces.

Iceberg is the most popular lettuce in the United States, most likely because it ships well and it has a crispness that other types don’t. If you look at the USDA chart below you can see the comparison.

The most nutritious is Romaine, followed by Green Leaf, then Red Leaf, then Butterhead with Iceberg coming in last place.

At my house, we eat Romaine, but we don’t like its giant veins, so I throw those out. If you’re an Iceberg fan, try mixing in some other types. That way you still get the crunch, but you won’t miss out on the nutrients. After all, that’s why you’re having a salad right?!

This chart only rates 5 types of lettuce, but don’t forget arugula, radicchio or endive. You can try those out in the prepackaged lettuce section.

Personally, when I make a salad it always has spinach in it. Spinach beats any type of lettuce for nutrient density, but that’s a post for another day.