Avocado and Arugula Salad with Blueberries and Melon

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arugula, avocado, blueberries, melon, mono-saturated fat, Nutrition, salad, vitamins

Ok, I’m on a salad jag. What can I say?  All the vegetables and fruits in the market are so beautiful, they call out to me. So why not put them together? Technically avocado is a fruit, but most of us think of it as a vegetable, so that’s how I’ll refer to it.  Rich in healthful mono-saturated fat, avocados are nutrient dense, providing vitamins K, C, E folate and most of the B vitamins as well as fiber, lutein and magnesium. While we usually associate vitamin K with blood clotting, it is essential to building strong bones. Calcium cannot do it alone.

This pretty salad can serve as a first course. Or you can transform it easily into a light main-course with a sprinkling of sunflower seeds and a few tablespoons of crumbled ricotta salata, dry white goat cheese, or feta cheese. For the meat eaters out there, which includes me upon occasion, a paper-thin slice or two of prosciutto wouldn’t hurt, either.  Serves 2; recipe doubles easily.

• 2 cups arugula, tough stems removed
• 1/2 cantaloupe or honeydew melon, sliced, rind removed
• 1 small avocado, peeled and sliced lengthwise
• 1/4 cup blueberries
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, Banyuls vinegar, or white wine vinegar
• 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1. Arrange 1 cup of arugula on each of 2 salad plates.  Decorative arrange the melon and avocado slices on top. Scatter the blueberries over the salads.
2. Drizzle the lemon juice or vinegar and olive oil over the salads. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
   

   Avocado and Arugula Salad

Why I Hate Superfoods

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antioxidants, cancer, diabetes, fiber, glycemic index, heart disease, minerals, obesity, superfoods, vitamins

Well, “hate” is too strong a word. Let’s just say I find the word distasteful and not helpful when it comes to instilling an understanding of how to eat to promote healthy aging and prevent chronic ills like cancer, diabetes, obesity and heart disease.  You see, most lists of superfoods are innocuous.  The foods themselves are usually low in saturated fat and glycemic index and high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber—all nutrients that have been associated with better health.

The problem is that the very term superfood reinforces the same mindset that suggests you can simply swallow a pill and make everything bad go away.  People who jump at superfood lists glom onto a particular food and eat it everyday: blueberries, walnuts, kale, salmon, acai berries…whatever, thinking that one ingredient will provide the magic bullet to cure all.

Researchers have tried the same approach, and it’s failed every time.  They’ve extracted particular nutrients that seem to have preventive powers from foods—folate, vitamin E, vitamin A—and done clinical trials where they give these supplements to see if they reduce incidence of cancer or heart disease. In many instances, trials have had to be stopped because they saw damage occurring along the way.  Too much of some single vitamins may be as harmful as too much. Or there may be nutrients we have yet to discover in vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Or it may be that it’s the combinations of foods we eat that are so helpful.

A truly healthy diet must include a wide variety of vegetables, fruits and whole grains everyday.  If you follow my blog, I’ll offer recipes that are creative and delicious, and that make healthy eating a delight.  Not a single superfood, but a collection of them that together will put powerful nutrition tools in your hands.