Is salad on the menu? Make it your best one ever with these five tips:@Yoga_Journal #fitnessaware

5 Steps to Seriously Superior Salads
Apply these tried-and-true cooking tricks to salad-making, and you’ll be making the best veggie-packed dishes ever.
July 31, 2021 Ivy Manning






Your go-to bowl of greens may be a good salad, but is it the best salad? Some of the best cooking tricks can be applied to salad-making. Here are five game changers that will help take your salads to a new level.
1. Season it
We season everything else, so why skip your salad? A pinch of coarse sea salt and a few grinds of pepper enhance the flavors in salads, too. But don’t stop there! Spices can amp up the natural sweetness of vegetables both raw and cooked. Try this homemade toasted spice blend on salads to turn a ho-hum salads into the best salad with grilled shrimp, sprinkle nutritional yeast on slaws for a savory boost, or herby-tart za’atar blend on a cucumber tomato salad with feta.
2. Underdress
Err on the side of underdressing your salads. You need less dressing than you think, and you can always add more, but you can’t remove dressing from a soggy salad. As a general rule, add ½ tablespoon of dressing, gently toss, taste, and add more until the ingredients are very lightly coated. Another option for chronic over-dressers, pour out small amounts  of dressing (about 1 tablespoon per person) into a small ramekin and dip your fork into it before each bite of undressed salad.
3. Hands on
Toss your salads with your hands in a large bowl, this helps coat all the ingredients with seasonings and dressing and it’s gentler on tender greens. If you’d rather not get your hands dirty, use kitchen tongs to even toss things together.
4. Balance textures
Try to choose a balance of elements – fluffy leaves, creamy elements like avocado or cheese, crunchy items like nuts or seeds, something substantial like roasted squash, meat, seafood and juicy/crisp elements like apple, tomato, or celery.  And remember, we eat with our eyes, so arrange elements artfully for a more satisfying meal. Click here for a handy chart on how to build a well composed, best salad recipes ever.
5. Herbs are salad leaves, too.
Herbs are a mainstay of salad dressing, but they are also delicious by themselves tucked into leafy salads. Fresh, tender herbs like basil, cilantro, dill, basil, parsley, and mint blend right in with lettuce plus they add little pops of fresh flavor that are unexpected and make salads more interesting. Make sure to remove any tough or stringy stems…concentrating on the juicy leaves instead.

6 Surprising Ways the Mediterranean Diet Benefits Your Body @RunnersWorld #fitnessaware

You know it’s great for your heart—but your favorite Mediterranean staples do wonders for other parts of your body, too.

Tuesday, January 2, 2018, 8:31 am
The Mediterranean diet gets hyped for a reason. The traditional Italian, Greek, or Spanish way of eating can help you lose weight, slash your cancer risk, and offers your whole body a slew of health perks.Mediterranean meals—which range even farther to France, Croatia, and Turkey—are mainly composed of plant-based foods, with the occasional addition of lean proteins like fish and chicken, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Other options include foods high in fiber, like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Healthy fats, like the kind you find in olive oil and nuts, are also a staple. If you drink, red wine will be your libation of choice, while red meats, butter, and added sugar are typically limited.(Looking for nutritious meals to fuel your run? Try the Runner’s World Cookbook.)

Overall, it’s one of the healthiest ways to eat, because you’re primarily consuming foods in their whole form, explains Carolyn Brown, M.S., R.D., a nutrition counselor at Foodtrainers in New York City.

In general, Americans tend to eat fewer fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats, while loading up on more processed carbs and sugar. The result? A higher risk of obesity, heart problems, and diabetes, says Brown.

But eating an abundance of Mediterranean staples? That can do your body good. Read on to find out how.

https://www.runnersworld.com/nutrition/mediterranean-diet-benefits-entire-body/slide/1

6 Surprising Ways the Mediterranean Diet Benefits Your Body @RunnersWorld

You know it’s great for your heart—but your favorite Mediterranean staples do wonders for other parts of your body, too.

Tuesday, January 2, 2018, 8:31 am
The Mediterranean diet gets hyped for a reason. The traditional Italian, Greek, or Spanish way of eating can help you lose weight, slash your cancer risk, and offers your whole body a slew of health perks.Mediterranean meals—which range even farther to France, Croatia, and Turkey—are mainly composed of plant-based foods, with the occasional addition of lean proteins like fish and chicken, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Other options include foods high in fiber, like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Healthy fats, like the kind you find in olive oil and nuts, are also a staple. If you drink, red wine will be your libation of choice, while red meats, butter, and added sugar are typically limited.(Looking for nutritious meals to fuel your run? Try the Runner’s World Cookbook.)

Overall, it’s one of the healthiest ways to eat, because you’re primarily consuming foods in their whole form, explains Carolyn Brown, M.S., R.D., a nutrition counselor at Foodtrainers in New York City.

In general, Americans tend to eat fewer fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats, while loading up on more processed carbs and sugar. The result? A higher risk of obesity, heart problems, and diabetes, says Brown.

But eating an abundance of Mediterranean staples? That can do your body good. Read on to find out how.

https://www.runnersworld.com/nutrition/mediterranean-diet-benefits-entire-body/slide/1

6 Surprising Ways the Mediterranean Diet Benefits Your Body @RunnersWorld

You know it’s great for your heart—but your favorite Mediterranean staples do wonders for other parts of your body, too.

Tuesday, January 2, 2018, 8:31 am
The Mediterranean diet gets hyped for a reason. The traditional Italian, Greek, or Spanish way of eating can help you lose weight, slash your cancer risk, and offers your whole body a slew of health perks.Mediterranean meals—which range even farther to France, Croatia, and Turkey—are mainly composed of plant-based foods, with the occasional addition of lean proteins like fish and chicken, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Other options include foods high in fiber, like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Healthy fats, like the kind you find in olive oil and nuts, are also a staple. If you drink, red wine will be your libation of choice, while red meats, butter, and added sugar are typically limited.(Looking for nutritious meals to fuel your run? Try the Runner’s World Cookbook.)

Overall, it’s one of the healthiest ways to eat, because you’re primarily consuming foods in their whole form, explains Carolyn Brown, M.S., R.D., a nutrition counselor at Foodtrainers in New York City.

In general, Americans tend to eat fewer fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats, while loading up on more processed carbs and sugar. The result? A higher risk of obesity, heart problems, and diabetes, says Brown.

But eating an abundance of Mediterranean staples? That can do your body good. Read on to find out how.

https://www.runnersworld.com/nutrition/mediterranean-diet-benefits-entire-body/slide/1

Is salad on the menu for lunch? Make it your best one ever with these five tips:@Yoga_Journal

5 Steps to Seriously Superior Salads
Apply these tried-and-true cooking tricks to salad-making, and you’ll be making the best veggie-packed dishes ever.
July 31, 2021 Ivy Manning






Your go-to bowl of greens may be a good salad, but is it the best salad? Some of the best cooking tricks can be applied to salad-making. Here are five game changers that will help take your salads to a new level.
1. Season it
We season everything else, so why skip your salad? A pinch of coarse sea salt and a few grinds of pepper enhance the flavors in salads, too. But don’t stop there! Spices can amp up the natural sweetness of vegetables both raw and cooked. Try this homemade toasted spice blend on salads to turn a ho-hum salads into the best salad with grilled shrimp, sprinkle nutritional yeast on slaws for a savory boost, or herby-tart za’atar blend on a cucumber tomato salad with feta.
2. Underdress
Err on the side of underdressing your salads. You need less dressing than you think, and you can always add more, but you can’t remove dressing from a soggy salad. As a general rule, add ½ tablespoon of dressing, gently toss, taste, and add more until the ingredients are very lightly coated. Another option for chronic over-dressers, pour out small amounts  of dressing (about 1 tablespoon per person) into a small ramekin and dip your fork into it before each bite of undressed salad.
3. Hands on
Toss your salads with your hands in a large bowl, this helps coat all the ingredients with seasonings and dressing and it’s gentler on tender greens. If you’d rather not get your hands dirty, use kitchen tongs to even toss things together.
4. Balance textures
Try to choose a balance of elements – fluffy leaves, creamy elements like avocado or cheese, crunchy items like nuts or seeds, something substantial like roasted squash, meat, seafood and juicy/crisp elements like apple, tomato, or celery.  And remember, we eat with our eyes, so arrange elements artfully for a more satisfying meal. Click here for a handy chart on how to build a well composed, best salad recipes ever.
5. Herbs are salad leaves, too.
Herbs are a mainstay of salad dressing, but they are also delicious by themselves tucked into leafy salads. Fresh, tender herbs like basil, cilantro, dill, basil, parsley, and mint blend right in with lettuce plus they add little pops of fresh flavor that are unexpected and make salads more interesting. Make sure to remove any tough or stringy stems…concentrating on the juicy leaves instead.

Is salad on the menu for lunch? Make it your best one ever with these five tips:@Yoga_Journal

5 Steps to Seriously Superior Salads
Apply these tried-and-true cooking tricks to salad-making, and you’ll be making the best veggie-packed dishes ever.
July 31, 2021 Ivy Manning






Your go-to bowl of greens may be a good salad, but is it the best salad? Some of the best cooking tricks can be applied to salad-making. Here are five game changers that will help take your salads to a new level.
1. Season it
We season everything else, so why skip your salad? A pinch of coarse sea salt and a few grinds of pepper enhance the flavors in salads, too. But don’t stop there! Spices can amp up the natural sweetness of vegetables both raw and cooked. Try this homemade toasted spice blend on salads to turn a ho-hum salads into the best salad with grilled shrimp, sprinkle nutritional yeast on slaws for a savory boost, or herby-tart za’atar blend on a cucumber tomato salad with feta.
2. Underdress
Err on the side of underdressing your salads. You need less dressing than you think, and you can always add more, but you can’t remove dressing from a soggy salad. As a general rule, add ½ tablespoon of dressing, gently toss, taste, and add more until the ingredients are very lightly coated. Another option for chronic over-dressers, pour out small amounts  of dressing (about 1 tablespoon per person) into a small ramekin and dip your fork into it before each bite of undressed salad.
3. Hands on
Toss your salads with your hands in a large bowl, this helps coat all the ingredients with seasonings and dressing and it’s gentler on tender greens. If you’d rather not get your hands dirty, use kitchen tongs to even toss things together.
4. Balance textures
Try to choose a balance of elements – fluffy leaves, creamy elements like avocado or cheese, crunchy items like nuts or seeds, something substantial like roasted squash, meat, seafood and juicy/crisp elements like apple, tomato, or celery.  And remember, we eat with our eyes, so arrange elements artfully for a more satisfying meal. Click here for a handy chart on how to build a well composed, best salad recipes ever.
5. Herbs are salad leaves, too.
Herbs are a mainstay of salad dressing, but they are also delicious by themselves tucked into leafy salads. Fresh, tender herbs like basil, cilantro, dill, basil, parsley, and mint blend right in with lettuce plus they add little pops of fresh flavor that are unexpected and make salads more interesting. Make sure to remove any tough or stringy stems…concentrating on the juicy leaves instead.