May is National Salad Month and while this may not excite you, I’m a big fan of salads!  I love that salads are not restricted to iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and heavy dressing.  You can make your salad whatever you want it to be!  You can add fruit, beans, nuts, or whatever else makes you…

May is National Salad Month and while this may not excite many people, I am a huge salad fan, especially this month. I feel like this year the weather went from snow days to beach days practically overnight. During these warm days I notice my appetite changes my body wants more cold dishes than hot…

Yesterday, March 26, was Spinach Day! While you may not be interested in eating spinach straight out of a can like Popeye, the health benefits of spinach are worth giving it a try in a few different recipes.   You may remember Popeye eating a full can of spinach to gain super strength. Although you…

The 4th week of July is designated as National Salad Week! What better time than now to whip out that salad bowl and your salad tongs?  Salads are light and refreshing, so it’s no wonder that National Salad Week is celebrated at the end of July.  There are many combinations and possibilities when you are…

No matter your nationality, St. Patrick’s Day brings out the Irish in everyone!  However, holidays can have a tendency to put your commitment to a healthy lifestyle to the test.  The St. Patrick’s Day traditions like dark beers, Irish soda bread and corned beef and cabbage may not coincide with your eating plan, but it…

Salads have gotten a bad reputation as being a notorious diet food.  You think about a bowl full of iceberg lettuce and a couple of tomatoes thrown in and you would be right to picture salads as the enemy.  But this month we celebrate salad, and look at the ways it can be satisfying as…

Your mother always told you to eat your spinach and she knew what she was talking about!  Spinach has been around for centuries and became popular in the United States by 1806.   By the 1920’s the popular cartoon, Popeye the Sailorman, used spinach to give Popeye his muscles and strength.  Spinach is an excellent source…

Lutein and zeaxanthin are primarily found in dark green and leafy vegetables, such as kale, collard greens, and turnip greens. They are also present in lesser amounts in corn, broccoli, green beans, peas, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, orange peppers, persimmons, kiwi, honeydew, and tangerines. Food Item Serving Size Lutein & Zeaxanthin (mg) Kale, cooked 1 cup…

Food Item  Serving Size Calcium (mg) Milk Whole 8 oz 290 1% milk 8 oz 300 2% milk 8 oz 297 Skim milk 8 oz 302 Yogurt Plain fat-free (with added milk solids) 8 oz 487 Plain low-fat (with added milk solids) 8 oz 447 Fruit, low-fat 8 oz 338 Frozen, vanilla, soft serve 1/2…