NATURAL HEALTH NOT JUST A SIDE DISH

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by Anne Vassal

Add a little variety and spice to your summer salads.

Most of us eagerly welcome the long-awaited salad season, when a fresh, crisp salad is the most satisfying summer day meal. Now you don't have to be a salad lover to appreciate the variety of colors, textures, and flavors of a summer salad. It can be something as simple as homegrown, sliced tomatoes on tender bibb lettuce with a few chopped chives. A light vinaigrette drizzled sparingly over the top is a nice touch but not a necessity considering how many flavorful lettuces are available. A summer salad can even become the main course, unless you have a family like mine which asks, "Where's the beef?" So I throw some chicken or fish on the grill and serve that too.

If you've been trying to lose a few pounds, this is the season. Fruits and vegetables have a high-nutrient density, which means that for the number of calories they supply, most contain a disproportionately large amount of essential vitamins. An average head of romaine or leaf lettuce contains only 15 calories while high in vitamin A, calcium, and potassium. Because fruits and vegetables are filled with water and fiber, they leave you feeling nice and full.

Lighten up your Dressing

So why aren't all the salad eaters as skinny as bean poles? Too often, the most nutritious and low-Fully prepared, we cast our lines into the water and sat calmly, like Jonah, and waited for our whale.calorie salad is ruined by a fatty dressing. Just two tablespoons of bottled dressing or mayonnaise can increase a salad's calorie value by 150 calories or more. Sure there are lowfat bottled dressings now, but they are often high in sodium and contain additives. These salad dressings were created for the tasteless and nutrition-less iceberg lettuce that sit around in the grocery store for weeks. Homemade dressings, on the other hand, are a simple and economical alternative to expensive bottled dressings. The "Basic Salad Dressing" (see recipe below) does contain some oil, but I've chosen olive oil and canola oil because they're monounsaturated oils which are great for cholesterol watchers. (Canola oil is also the lowest in saturated fat.) If you are watching your fat intake, add more lemon juice and less oil; use dressing sparingly.

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