Healthy Veggie Salad - Healthy Food Tip and Recipe

healthy food tip and recipe

Today's Recipe If you don't know what to serve for dinner tonight ...
A large salad meal with veggies and beans can carry you through the entire afternoon. This recipe is just a sample of what you can create yourself with your favorite ingredients.

Healthy Veggie Salad
Prep and Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:

• 4 cups mixed salad greens
• 2 oz low-fat cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup cucumber slices
• 1/2 cup tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup sliced red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup avocado, diced
• 1 cup garbanzo beans
• 1/2 cup crimini mushrooms
• 3 TBS sunflower seeds
• 
  
• Dressing
• 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine all ingredients. Toss with olive oil and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serves 1
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In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Healthy Veggie Salad
Healthy Food Tip

Should I eat a variety of grains?

One of the concerns regarding the current intake of grains is that most people's diet overemphasizes wheat. Adverse and allergic reaction to wheat lies near the top of most food allergy studies. It's not always clear that wheat itself is the problem. Sometimes the issue of whole wheat versus processed wheat seems equally important in understanding the allergic response. However, adverse reaction to wheat is a problem that may go undetected and can be a contributing factor to many different problems including joint pain, skin rash and irritation, mood disorders, and bowel problems.
Therefore, I encourage consumption of a variety of grains and not simply (or even predominantly) wheat. Whole grains such as oats, barley, rye, quinoa, amaranth, corn, kamut, and spelt can provide a variety of nutrients (please note that some foods that we refer to as grains-such as quinoa and amaranth-are not technically grains from a botanical perspective but since they are prepared like true grains I refer to them as such). For example, oats and barley contain beta-glucans that can help to lower cholesterol. Other grains like amaranth contain ferulic acid that can act as an antioxidant. Plus, most whole grains are rich in fiber, which not only has its own special benefits but as part of the grain helps to blunt the blood-elevating effect that the grains' carbohydrates would otherwise have. (Refined grains are typically lacking in fiber and therefore can cause unwanted blood sugar elevations.)