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(NAPSI)-Bananas are the most popular fruit in America and
not just because of their taste. Think of the endless ways you can enjoy a
banana: blended in a low calorie smoothie, sliced into a fiber-rich cereal,
packed in a lunch or eaten as a pre- and post-game energy booster. Sure they
taste good but they also supply essential nutrients and carbohydrates your
body needs to perform at its peak.
One medium banana, with its smooth, tropical flavor, packs a
whopping four grams of dietary fiber and a healthy dose of potassium and
vitamins C and B6 into a mere 110 calories. Carbohydrates are the body's
main source of energy. Fruits contain carbohydrates, fiber and a wide
variety of nutrients. Fiber helps you feel full, so you eat less; and
fruits, like bananas, are portion-controlled-a big help to dieters. High
protein, low carbohydrate diets, on the other hand, often contain too much
unhealthy fat and restrict foods that provide variety, flavor, texture and
essential nutrients. People lose weight simply because they are eating fewer
calories than they are expending; there is no magic metabolic
transformation. Hundreds of large scale studies have demonstrated better
health with a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains. So, whether
you want to shed a few pounds or maintain a healthy weight, remember to go
bananas, and include a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables in your
diet every day.
Banana and Spinach salad is a colorful salad featuring
creamy white bananas, green spinach, red cranberries and orange citrus
fruit. It shows you how easy it is to toss together the colors of health.
Color is an easy way to think about variety, which is central to good
nutrition. By including a mix of colors in your low fat diet-at least 5 to 9
servings daily-you can help maintain (or reach) a healthy weight and obtain
a wide range of vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals.
For more banana recipes and information, visit the website
www.eatmorebananas.com;
and for more information about 5 A Day The Color Way, visit
www.5aday.org and
www.aboutproduce.com.
Banana and Spinach Salad
1/2 cup pecans
1 tablespoon coffee flavored liqueur or coffee
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons cranberry juice cocktail
2/3 cup fat-free raspberry vinaigrette dressing
3 bananas, cut into slices
1 cup orange sections
2 packages (6 oz. each) baby spinach
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
Line shallow pan with foil, stir together pecans and coffee
liqueur. Bake at 300°F., 12-15 minutes stirring twice, until toasted. Set
aside. Combine cranberries and juice, cover and microwave on HIGH 30
seconds, let sit 5 minutes. Finely chop cranberry mixture in food processor;
stir together with vinaigrette. Toss together cranberry vinaigrette, banana
slices and orange sections. Line plates with spinach and onion; top with
banana mixture. Sprinkle pecans over salad. Serves 4.
Nutritional information per serving: calories: 353, total
fat: 10.5g, saturated fat: 1.1g, % calories from fat: 25%, protein: 5g,
carbohydrates: 62g, cholesterol: 0mg, dietary fiber: 8g, sodium: 469mg. |
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