Veggie Blog

My Best Salad Recipe

Okay so I made a suggestion for a delicious salad you can serve your friends and family. Hopefully this will make them decide to be a veggie because the taste is simply amazing!

Ingredients:
• 2 bunches spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
• 4 cups sliced strawberries
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

The progress to make this is very easy. Simply get 2 bowls and take the spinach and strawberries in one of them, than you take everything else in the other one. Mix everything well in both bowls then you get your salad bowl and pt the spinach and berries on the bottom while you take the other ingredients on top of it. This is fast and easy and will make you literally scream for more.

Scientists working in Madagascar found the largest frog which has ever lived. The fossil was in 75 pieces when they found it and it was put together by Susan Evans of University College London. Susan Evans claims that the frog fossil was around 70 million year old and when the frog was alive it was as big as a beach ball. 41 CM high and bared the weight of 4.5 KG. This is amazing for a frog and the students of University College London were very surprised by its size. They are now doing more research of the frog fossil to see if they can dig out more information.

Broccoli is one of the most common vegetables in a vegetarian kitchen. The old version of this post had a few mistakes about its vitamins, so here are the basics, corrected.

What kind of vegetable is broccoli?

Broccoli is a cole crop, a group of vegetables in the cabbage family. Iowa State University Extension lists broccoli with Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale and kohlrabi. We mostly eat the green flower heads, which is what the old post meant by the tops.

Which vitamins does broccoli have?

The old post said broccoli is full of vitamins A, D and C. Vitamin C is right, but the USDA lists no vitamin D in raw broccoli and only a small amount of vitamin A. According to the raw broccoli entry in USDA FoodData Central, one cup of chopped raw broccoli (91 grams) provides about 81 milligrams of vitamin C, 93 micrograms of vitamin K, 2.4 grams of fiber and 2.6 grams of protein. The same entry shows about 28 micrograms of vitamin A (RAE) and no vitamin D. The NIH sets the recommended daily amount of vitamin C for adults at 75 milligrams for women and 90 milligrams for men, so one cup covers a woman’s whole day and about nine-tenths of a man’s. Our post on vitamin C explains more.

Which part do you eat?

The old post said we only eat the tops because the stem and root are tough. The florets are the usual choice, and the root end really is woody, but the main stem is edible too if you peel off the tough outer skin and slice the inside thinly. That is ordinary cooking practice, not something from a research source.

Can you grow broccoli in a hot climate?

The old post warned that broccoli does not like heat, and that is correct. Iowa State says cole crops are cool-season vegetables that grow best at 60 to 70°F, can withstand light frosts and are ready to harvest 60 to 75 days after transplanting, depending on the variety. Harvest when the head is fully developed but before the small yellow flower buds start to open, and cut the central stem just below the head. Several smaller side heads, about 1 to 3 inches across, then develop where the leaves meet the stem. If your summers are hot, plant in early spring or fall.

You do not need to eat meat to keep your skeleton strong. What matters is getting enough calcium and vitamin D, and plenty of plant foods can help. Here are the common questions.

Why does your body need calcium?

About 98 percent of the calcium in your body is stored in your bones, and the NIH explains that the body uses the bones as a reservoir for calcium to keep the level in your blood steady. If you do not get enough from food, your body takes it from the bones. Over time, that weakens them, which is what the old post meant.

How much calcium do you need?

The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements recommends 1,000 milligrams a day for adults aged 19 to 50 and for men aged 51 to 70, and 1,200 milligrams for women over 50 and for everyone over 70. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, so make sure you get enough of that as well.

Which plant foods give you calcium, and which do not?

The old post named dry beans, tofu, soy milk and dark green vegetables. The NIH’s food table gives these amounts: calcium-fortified soy milk has 299 milligrams in a cup, firm tofu made with calcium sulfate has 253 milligrams in half a cup, boiled turnip greens 99 milligrams in half a cup, cooked kale 94 milligrams in a cup, and raw shredded bok choy 74 milligrams in a cup. Check the tofu label, because not all tofu is made with calcium. Calcium-fortified cereals and juices help too.

Not all greens are equal, though. Spinach, collard greens, sweet potatoes, rhubarb and beans are high in oxalic acid, which binds calcium, and the NIH says that absorption of calcium is only 5 percent for spinach, compared with 27 percent for milk. It adds that the calcium in broccoli, kale and cabbage is absorbed about as well as the calcium in milk, although each serving contains less. So I would lean on those, on fortified foods and on tofu, and not count on spinach, collards or beans. For vegans in particular, the NIH notes a higher risk of low calcium intake, because dairy is the main source in most diets.

Do you need a supplement?

Many people can reach their goal with food, especially with fortified products. If you do not, ask your doctor or dietitian first, because too much calcium has risks. Our posts on whether you need a calcium supplement and how to take calcium supplements safely explain how to choose and use one.

The old version of this post claimed that meat-eaters have a much bigger chance of getting cancer. The sentence was muddled, and one line even said the opposite, so I have rewritten it from the research.

Is meat linked to cancer?

The World Health Organization says that processed meat, such as bacon, sausages and ham, is classified as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), because there is sufficient evidence that it causes colorectal cancer. Red meat is classified as probably carcinogenic (Group 2A). WHO adds that the risk increases with the amount of red or processed meat eaten, and that at the time of the original assessment the data did not permit a conclusion about whether a safe level exists. A Group 1 label describes how strong the evidence is, not how big the risk is.

Do vegetarians get fewer diseases?

Some studies suggest a benefit. In the Adventist Health Study 2, vegetarians had a 12 percent lower adjusted risk of death from any cause than non-vegetarians. This is an association: people who skip meat often differ in other ways, such as exercise and smoking. A vegetarian diet of chips and sweets is not a healthy one, so the quality of the food matters as much as the label.

How much meat is reasonable?

The World Cancer Research Fund recommends no more than about three portions of red meat a week, which is roughly 350 to 500 grams cooked weight, and eating little if any processed meat. If you are not ready to go fully vegetarian, our guide to eating to lower cholesterol with fiber and plants shows how to build meals around beans and vegetables.

Should you try a month meat-free?

My old advice was to try it for a month and see how you feel. I still think this is a good experiment, but I have dropped the claim that nine out of ten people feel better, because I found no source for it. Plan for protein, iron and vitamin B12, keep notes on how you feel, and talk to your doctor if you have a medical condition. Our post on the main types of vegetarian diet can help you pick a starting point.