Figs, Walnuts and Spinach 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 ...
If you are tired of that plain green salad for dinner you will want to add the extra nutrition and pizzazz that the figs and walnuts add to this spinach salad to your Healthiest Way of Eating. It's a great will complement to almost any meal. Enjoy!
Figs, Walnuts and Spinach Salad
Prep and Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium onion, sliced thin
• 2 TBS white wine or apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup hot water
• 5 oz baby spinach
• 2 TBS balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp honey
• 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• salt and cracked black pepper to taste
• 8 dried figs, sliced
• 2 TBS chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Slice onion and let sit for at least 5 minutes to enhance its health-promoting properties.
2. Marinate sliced onion in 2 TBS white wine or apple cider vinegar and hot water for 10 minutes while preparing rest of ingredients.
3. Rinse and dry baby spinach. If you have a salad spinner that is best, otherwise, dry with paper towels. This will avoid dressing getting diluted.
4. Whisk together balsamic vinegar, honey, salt and pepper, drizzling in the olive oil a little at a time at the end. Drain the liquid in which the onions were marinating. Toss spinach, onions, walnuts, and figs with dressing and serve.

Serves 4 Printer Friendly Version of Figs, Walnuts and Spinach Salad
In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Figs, Walnuts and Spinach Salad
Healthy Food Tip

If I have diabetes, can I eat fruit?

Yes, if you have diabetes-either type 1 or type 2-you can definitely eat fruit. However, depending on the degree of difficulty you are experiencing in controlling your blood sugar, you may need to work out the exact amounts and timing with your healthcare provider. The basic rules that apply to eating fruit, however, are essentially the same for all individuals who need to pay special attention to their blood sugar regulation. Here are those basic rules:

• No fruit can be eaten in large amounts if blood sugar control is an issue. "Large amounts" might even mean one single whole fruit if the fruit is large in size.
• Dried fruits and fruit juices are sometimes impossible to include on diabetic diets because of their sugar concentrations.
• Skins of fruits containing fiber and other phytonutrients are usually helpful to eat when blood sugar regulation is an issue owing to the benefits of these nutrients.
• In general, about 10 grams of sugar from a fruit serving can serve as a safe upper limit. One half of a small-to-medium sized apple contains approximately this amount of sugar. So does one-half cup of fresh blueberries. The in-depth nutritional profile of each of the fruits featured in The World's Healthiest Foods book will tell you how much sugar the fruit has. This profile is located at the end of each of the individual fruit chapters.
• If you're consuming fresh fruit as a snack, adding a small amount of a food with a more balanced mixture of protein and fat will help fulfill your appetite and satiety.