Tips for Safer Leafy Greens

Have you ever picked up a head of lettuce at the grocery store, looked at it (and its small price tag) but then opted for the "triple-washed" bagged lettuce for triple the price?!

Here are the highlights from a great article we read, in the February issue of the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, for making lettuce (and other leafy greens) as healthy as possible for all those lunchbox sandwiches you are making.

Loose, Unwashed Leafy Greens

• When purchasing leafy greens (or any produce you plan to eat raw), use plastic bags to prevent contamination from other items like raw meat and poultry. Even if you don't have raw meat in your basket, contamination can still occur on the belt at checkout among other places.
• Discard the outer leaves of heads of lettuce and cabbage.
  
• Wash leafy greens thoroughly under cold running water just before eating them.
  
• Alternatively, immerse loose greens in a large part of cold water.
• Organic greens are no safer than the conventionally grown equivalent.
• Antimicrobial washes have not been proven more effective than thorough washing at home.
  

Prewashed, "Ready to Eat" Bagged Greens

• Just because its in a plastic bag doesn't necessarily mean its been washed thoroughly. Look for the phrases, "prewashed," "triple-washed," or "ready-to eat."
• Because prewashed bagged greens are processed in facilities that are legally required to be very sanitary, some experts say that rewashing these prewashed greens at home only increases the risk of contamination. If you plan to rewash, just buy loose (unwashed) greens to start with. And you'll save money!
• Don't store greens near or under raw meat in the fridge. Make it a habit to store meat on a lower shelf in the fridge to minimize the risk of contamination (by dripping juices) in general.

Safest Options:

• Cooking heartier leafy greens like spinach and other dark greens kills bacteria. Just 15 seconds at 160 degrees F will do it.
• To really opt out, grab a bag of frozen veggies. Frozen greens have been blanched (cooked briefly in boiling water) before freezing. No outbreaks of food poisoning have ever been linked to frozen greens.

Fava Fundip

Fava Beans are and excellent source of fiber and folate. Folate is necessary for the production and health of new cells and is needed to make DNA and RNA. Kids will love to help you shell the fava beans (at least for a little while ;) )

Fava Fundip:

• 1 lb unshelled fava beans (this equates to 1 cup of shelled beans)
• 3 tbl veggie stock
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp chives, chopped fine
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparing your fava beans:
Fresh favas need to be husked. Shell the bean by pulling on the stem of the pod and "unzip" them on both sides. This will remove the outer shell and expose the bean. The beans have a waxy coating that needs to be removed. Remove by dropping beans into boiling water for 1 minute, then quickly plunging into ice water to stop the cooking process. Now remove the waxy outer coating.

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.

CAUTION: Do not eat raw fava beans. The risk of eating raw fava beans is small, but some have a reaction.

Sometimes Cooked Veggies are Better for You!

Cooked vegetables have been getting a bad rap lately. The raw food movement has made some of us fear that perhaps the only way to get all the nutrients out of our vegetables is to eat them o'natural... But let's face it, certain vegetables just taste better cooked, and cooked a certain way. For example beets, first of all, you have to cook them, and they are MUCH better roasted than boiled. And, it's a shame to think that we couldn't enjoy that delicious spinach in garlic side dish because it no longer has any nutritional value... OR DOES IT???

Check this article out: http://www.ift.org/cms/?pid=1001999

Turns out cooking doesn't always ruin nutrient content, in fact, in some cases it actually increases nutritional value. Here's the recap of the article and what you need to know:

• The highest antioxidant loss was observed in cauliflower after boiling and microwaving, peas after boiling, and zucchini after boiling and frying.
• Green beans, beets, and garlic were found to keep their antioxidant levels after most cooking treatments.
• The vegetables that increased their antioxidant levels after all cooking methods were green beans (except green beans after boiling), celery and carrots.
• Artichoke was the only vegetable that kept its high antioxidant level during all the cooking methods.

This was enlightening and exciting!! Looks like we can all enjoy our spinach side dishes and beet and goat cheese salad.

But all that said, when it comes down to it, if your family (especially the kids) like to eat their vegetables a certain way, listen to them, at least they'll eat um...