Fruit and vegetable salad: healthy, nutritious and low in calories

Have you made a healthy salad and then added lots of high-calorie toppings? What you sprinkle over your greens can also be made into a salad. Here, we will offer you some unexpected ingredients to boost your salad's flavor and healthfulness. Using small amounts and different combinations of ingredients can help you add a variety of foods to your salad without extra calories.

Salad

Your salad has leafy greens, vegetables, even fruit - so why not add some flowers from the garden? Edible flowers, including calendula, violets, roses, nettles, chive blossoms and violas, can add color and flavor to your salad. Be sure to use only those labeled as edible, like the ones you find in the produce section of the grocery store. Other flowers sold at nurseries and florists may be toxic or may have been grown with dangerous pesticides. A kitchen herb garden can also serve as a way to produce flowers and plants for eating.

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.

Whether fresh or dried, herbs are another way to add flavor to salads. Many supermarkets offer already-packaged fresh herbs or plants. Both fresh and dried herbs can be sprinkled on top as a garnish, or used to make flavorful vinegars or salad dressings. Experiment with different combinations, but start small. It is also important to know that if a recipe calls for dried herbs and you want to use fresh - one teaspoon of dried equals one tablespoon (3 teaspoons) of fresh chopped herbs.

Go green

Avocados not only taste good, they are a source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and contain a variety of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin E and potassium. They also provide a fair amount of dietary fiber, which most Americans do not eat enough of. Avocados are also very versatile. For example, they can be chopped and added to dressings as a salad topping or pudding. It is best to prepare them just before eating, because once an avocado is sliced, it begins to discolor. Squeezing a little lemon or lime juice on it can also keep it from turning brown.

Liuheyi enjoys health and happiness with you!