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Publication #FCS8696-Eng

Healthy Eating for Elders: Salad Suggestions1

Jennifer Hillan2

Salads are quick and easy to make and have endless possibilities! Paired with whole grain crackers or bread, salads make healthy and convenient meals. Try some of these ideas for your next salad.

  • Choose colorful varieties of lettuce such as romaine, red leaf, or green leaf lettuce. These have more nutrients than iceberg lettuce.

  • Make a salad from canned vegetables by mixing two or more chilled vegetables such as carrots, beets, or green beans.

  • Mix vegetables and fruits for unusual combinations. Try apple slices or mandarin oranges on spinach leaves.

  • Fill peach or pear halves with low-fat cottage cheese or yogurt. Garnish with chopped nuts.

  • Add canned beans to your salad. Experiment with kidney, lima, green beans, or chickpeas (garbanzos).

  • Layer tomato slices on lettuce. Top with low-fat cottage cheese.

  • Add protein to your salad with cubed cheese, chopped hard-cooked eggs, or canned meat.

Go easy on high-fat, high-calorie dressings. Instead, buy low-fat dressings or make your own from lemon juice, lime juice, or vinegar and vegetable oil.

Produce Pointers

• Don't wash produce until you are ready to use It—it will stay fresh longer.

• Freeze left-over chopped peppers, mushrooms, and onions for later use.

• If possible, shop with a friend and share a head of lettuce or a melon.

Footnotes

1.

This document, FCS8696-Eng, is one in a series of the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611. Publication date: March 2004. This leaflet was developed with funding from the Florida Department of Elder Affairs in partnership with state, county, and local agencies. Please visit the EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu

2.

Jennifer Hillan, MSH, RD, LD/N, former ENAFS nutrition educator/trainer, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611. Reviewed by Linda B. Bobroff, PhD, RD, LD/N, professor, and Leigh Ann Martin, MESS, former ENAFS project coordinator, University of Florida.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Millie Ferrer-Chancy, Interim Dean.