Is Your Salad Making You Fat?

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Salads aren't always healthy.

Sure a bed of greens and chopped vegetables are packed with vitamins and minerals. But, have you ever taken a closer look at all those salad toppings you pile on?

Beware of These 4 Calorie-Heavy Salad Toppings

1. Croutons: These crispy chunks of dried bread add minimal nutrition and lots of calories to your salad. Instead try adding a sprinkle of equally crunchy almonds, walnuts or sunflower seeds to add texture to the salad.
2. Dressing: A drizzle of ranch or dollop of blue cheese dressing is just fine. But when your salad bowl looks like soup, you're simply using too much dressing. Experiment with non-creamy dressings like flavored vinaigrettes if you like a lot of extra added flavor.
3. Cheese: I was shocked when I found out a serving of cheese is the size of two dice. Really? That's tiny! It's easy to sprinkle up to 200 calories and a day's worth of sodium on an entree-size salad without much thought. If you can't part with this dairy topping, opt for lower-sodium cheeses such as whole-milk mozzarella, sliced Swiss and crumbly goat cheese.
4. Dried Fruit: Skip the raisins, dried cherries and dried cranberries preserved with extra sugar. Use fresh whole fruits like sliced grapes, strawberries or pears instead. You'll use less (since the chunks are bigger) and consume fewer calories.

The takeaway? Enjoy anything you want on your salad, but in moderation. If you're going to use half a bottle of dressing or a cup of dried fruit, you might as well skip the salad altogether and just order pizza.

So, what healthy salad toppings do you enjoy?

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

Trying the 'Reboot With Joe' Juicing Challenge

I'm a sucker for a good documentary. And, if it's about food, health or nutrition, I'm all over it.

Image Credit: Flickr

One of my favorite movies is Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead from Joe Cross. The other night I noticed there was a new (2014) "Part 2" available on Netflix. I queued it up and watched, mesmerized.

I just love what healthy eating and nutrition can do for people.

Then I decided I should try it. I opted for the 5-day reboot. In a nutshell, I've been making fresh juices each day and consuming them for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. I'm also enjoying coconut water, hot herbal tea and water with lemon. That's it.

Why? Most people try these juicing cleanses and detox challenges to lose weight. I'm at my ideal goal weight already, so I'm consuming enough juice to keep my daily caloric needs in check.

Instead, I'm hoping to:

• boost my immune system functioning by giving it a flood of vitamins
• get my digestion back on track and regulated (it's been goofy since surgery)
• give my digestive system a little healing break since Celiac is slowly damaging it
• gain some much needed energy from all the nutrients

As I write this, I'm at the end of day two.

On day one I noticed I was urinating much more frequently and was not overly hungry. But, I am already planning what I want to eat once I have solid foods again. Veggie fajitas from my favorite Mexican place sound really good right about now!

Today, day two, was a different story. I woke up this morning feeling really good. I enjoyed my morning hot lemon water and breakfast juice. Then the hubby and I took the dogs for a walk, and things started to go down hill.

I was out of breath from a short walk. I started to get dizzy. Then the ringing in my ears started. My blood sugar was way out of control. I was sweating uncontrollably and had to eat something to avoid passing out.

I'm done with this challenge. Sugary fruit-based juice and hypoglycemia simply don't mix. I'm upset that I wasn't able to give this challenge a full try, but I think it's best for my health for me to stop.

After eating dinner and resting, I feel much better. So, for anyone thinking of doing this challenge, listen to your body. And, if you have issues with your blood sugars (diabetic, hypoglycemic, hyperglycemic) this probably isn't the best option for you. Talk with your doctor first!

Have you done the "Reboot with Joe" challenge from Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead? Tell me your challenges and successes in the comments below.

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living