Clean Eats: Avocado Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

It is starting to feel like spring (well at least it is above 50 degrees today)! This week’s Clean Eats recipe is easy, healthy and perfect for spring and summer time! Our client Barbara is sharing her new favorite way to spice up a spinach salad.

This recipe is from the blog Gimme Some Oven. There are so many different ways to make this salad! Barbara exchanges the blue cheese for goat cheese and uses her own balsamic dressing. I love that healthy fats like avocado and almonds that we just discussed in the latest FitFuel post are included in the ingredients too! Here’s what you’ll need…

Ingredients:

• 6 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 1 avocado, diced (or you can double this to 2 avocados!)
• 4 ounces crumbled gorgonzola or blue cheese
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• half a small red onion, thinly sliced
• poppyseed dressing (recipe below)

Poppyseed Dressing Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup avocado oil (or any oil, such as olive oil)
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds
• pinch of ground dry mustard (optional)
• salt and pepper

Prep time: 10 minutes

Steps:

• Whisk all dressing ingredients together until combined.
• Toss all ingredients together with your desired amount of dressing until combined. Serve immediately.

Now this is a salad you will look forward to eating!!! Add some protein like chicken or salmon to create a full, balanced meal. Double these ingredients to make a big salad for the week. Thanks for sharing, Barbara!

Cheers, Michelle

 

Fit Fuel – The Fittest Fats

In my last post, we took a look at sugar and fat consumption. Fat in foods has been vilified in the United States for years, but in reality our bodies need fats to ensure proper function. That said, not all fats are created equal, only some support overall good health and help to fuel workouts. Dietary fats, or the fats that we ingest, are primarily found in foods from plants and animals. The four major types of fats are monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, saturated fats and trans fats. Take a look below for an explanation and examples of each!

Monounsaturated fats

Monounsaturated fats are found in a variety of foods and oils. Studies show that eating foods rich in monounsaturated fatty acids improves blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease your risk of heart disease. Research also shows that these fatty acids may benefit insulin levels and blood sugar control.

• Examples:
  • Avocados, olives, vegetable oils and nuts (almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews)

• Are these good or bad fats?
  • Good – eat up (but don’t go too crazy)!

Polyunsaturated fats

This is a type of fat found mostly in plant-based foods and oils. Evidence shows that eating foods rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (Omega-3) improves blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease your risk of heart disease. These fatty acids may also help decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes.

• Examples:
  • Walnuts, flax seeds, fatty fish (salmon, tuna, etc.,)

• Are these good fats?
  • Yes!

Saturated fats

Most saturated fats are found in animal sources of food, such as red meat, poultry and full-fat dairy products. Saturated fat can raise total blood cholesterol levels and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, which can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes.

• Examples:
  • Cheeses, meats, butter

• Are these good or bad fats?
  • Debatable – consume in moderation!

Trans fats

Trans fat occurs naturally in some foods in small amounts, but most trans fats are chemically engineered in a food processing method called partial hydrogenation. These partially hydrogenated trans fats can increase unhealthy LDL cholesterol and lower healthy high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.

• Examples:
  • Commercially-baked goods, margarines, vegetable shortening, fried foods and anything that reads “partially hydrogenated”

• Are these good or bad fats?
  • Bad

Healthier fats are found in the form of monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats – eating foods rich in these fats can improve blood cholesterol levels and lower your risk of heart disease. Do your best to avoid over-consuming saturated and trans fats—over time, they can raise total and LDL (“ bad”) cholesterol, which can increase risk of heart disease and also contribute to increasing your risk of obesity, diabetes, and cancer.

Here’s a graphic of healthy fats to incorporate into your diet from the American Heart Association. They recommend to include good fats in your diet, limit saturated fats and keep trans fats as low as possible. Until next time, happy eating!

Xo Marissa