Chat It’s Fate – September 2019

Words: Amanda Vlietstra Images: Alamy

it’s fateit’s fate

DAYS

A cool, crisp salad is the

perfect summer meal

I

f you’re trying to lose weight,

then you’ll probably be very

familiar with salads – perhaps

even a bit bored with them!

But salads needn’t be dull.

From rocket to radicchio, there

are all sorts of different salad

leaves sold in greengrocers

or supermarkets now, and

they’re really easy to grow,

too, if you’ve got space in

your garden or pots on your

balcony and are so inclined.

The Ancient Greeks, Romans

and Persians all grew lettuce

• the Greeks called it ‘tridax’
  and the Persians ‘kahn.’ It
  was considered to be sacred
  in Egypt, where they used
  the seeds to produce oil.

According to the ancient Greek

historian Herodotus (484-425

BC), lettuce was served on the

tables of the Persian kings of

the 6th century BC. 

There are so many great

reasons to eat a salad a day

• they can help with weight
  loss (eat a simple salad before
  your main meal and you’ll fi ll
  up more quickly), they’re a
  superb source of the natural
  fi bre that’s so important for
  digestion, they’re rich in
  vitamins and antioxidants
  that can help prevent disease
  and even keep you looking
  younger. And let’s face it, if
  they’re good enough for kings,
  they’re good enough for us!

Salad

SALAD SUPERFOODS

O

f course, you can zest your salad

up with all sorts of healthy and

delicious ingredients. But be warned!

If you’re adding a load of mayonnaise,

deep-fried croutons and cheese, your

‘healthy’ salad probably contains as

many calories as a fast food meal! Try

these instead:

Avocado. Yes, it’s higher in fat than

most fruit or veg, but it’s so good for

you. Slicing a quarter of an avo and

adding it to your greens will boost your

potassium, as well as helping to lower

cholesterol. They’re a good source of

In Mediaeval Europe,

lettuce was thought to

have all sorts of medicinal

properties. It was prescribed

for bilious eructation,

disturbed blood pressure, loss

of appetite, insomnia, as a

tonic for the intestines and

digestive system, and

as a method to stop

sexual urges.

Did you know?

Healthy

eating

fi bre and B vitamins – and will make your

salad more fi lling.

Raw nuts. Walnuts, almonds,

macadamia – whatever you choose,

nuts are abundant in monounsaturated

fats, the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty

acids that aid in reducing bad cholesterol

and boosting good cholesterol. Again,

they’re also fi lling – but don’t opt for dry-

roasted or sweetened varieties!

Sprouts. No, not the Brussels variety!

Adding sprouting vegetables to your

salad will turbo-charge its nutritional

impact. Mung beans have a high fi bre

count and are rich in vitamins A and C.

Pea shoots are also high in vitamins A

and C, and a good source of fi bre – and

taste deliciously of garden peas.

Kale. This dark green leafy veg packs

a nutritional wallop but can have a bitter

taste. You can try ‘massaging’ it to reduce

this – place the leaves into a bowl with

a dash of olive oil and knead for three or

four minutes, as you would dough.

Spinach. Popeye was right all along

• the nutrients found in spinach help to
  build strong bones. But did you know
  that they also help to improve the
  performance of the mitochondria, the
  little structures inside our cells that help
  to produce energy, as well
  as power our muscles?

For more fresh ideas

visit princes.co.uk