Food tip Tuesday! Why you should include almonds and peppers into yourdiet...

Hey ya'll! After yesterday's rant I'm happy to get back to basics with the weekly food tip. This time of year I crave salads more than anything, but I like to switch it up instead of eating the same boring salad all the time. Last week I brought you grilled chicken salads in mason jars, this week it's crab meat salads with almonds and peppers!

One picture shows the a crab salad with lettuce wrap, and the other is a typical green salad with crab meat, almonds and peppers. For the wrap I like to use a honey mustard sauce, but check your food label and make sure it's not high in fats and sugar. For example, I buy the Walmart brand honey mustard and this is what the label looks like

 

As you will notice, there are few ingredients, and you can pronounce all of them. Get in the habit of turning over the labels and reading them before you buy. You want to know exactly what you're putting into your body. If you can't read it, you don't want to ingest it. Stay away from items that have high fructose corn syrup and dressing made with vegetable oil. 

The benefits of almonds 

- Almonds are packed with vitamins to include: vitamin E, vitamins C, and B complex vitamins. They also contain the following minerals: magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, selenium. 

- They are a good source of protein. 

- They contain monounsaturated fatty acids, which helps lower bad cholesterol levels, LDL, and increases good cholesterol, HDL. 

- Just a handful of almonds a day can provide much of your source of vitamins, minerals, and protein. So, enjoy them as a snack, or put them salads, or side dishes like green beans and brown rice. 

Benefits of sweet peppers 

- Peppers contain vitamins A, and C. 

- They also contain potassium, folic acid, and fiber 

- eating them raw is a great way to preserve all the nutrients, however, be careful not to over cook or burn them if your making a stir fry or hot meal, so that the nutrients won't cook out. They can be placed in a salads, or eaten as a snack as well. 

I hope you've found these food tips helpful, and as always, food tip Tuesday is brought to you by the Greens Family! With drink mixes and chews, it's an excellent way to get 8 servings of fruits and vegetables, detox, and aid in healthy digestion.