Not bitter at all

Unlike most men I've dated, there exists one love in my life that is not only good for my body, but reliable and always giving.

When it comes to vegetables, Swiss chard rules.

 Put its nutritional content side by side with lettuce, another green, and there's no comparison. Swiss chard is low in saturated fat and cholesterol, while high in fiber, vitamins A, B6, C,  E and K, riboflavin, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, manganese, thiamin, folate and zinc. It also contains phytonutrients said to prevent digestive tract disorders, such as colon cancer.

 And while the health benefits of spinach are often touted, in the garden, Swiss chard is the victor. Long after spinach has been harvested or bolted, Swiss chard keeps on growing, so you can harvest regularly, even now into fall.

 It's versatile, too. Young, tender leaves can be eaten in a salad; while the larger pieces can be boiled like spinach or rolled similar to grape leaves.

 And while some might describe its taste as somewhat bitter, when eaten fresh – whether raw or cooked – it's tender and tasty. Put a bit of vinegar on the cooked version, if that's to your liking.

 My favorite, for color and variety, is Swiss chard  Bright Lights, with stalks of yellow, orange, pink, crimson, purple, white and green.

 Baylor College of Medicine offers more on the benefits of greens. The major omission is, of course, Swiss chard, but now you've got the skinny on that, as well:

    Greens in general are always good. The following from the Baylor College of Medicine www.bcm.edu offers more on lettuce, with advice to eat lots of it, but try to choose the most nutritious variety and watch what you put on it. “Salad is a wonderful way to fill up without consuming a lot of calories,” said Dr. Rebecca Reeves, http://www.bcm.edu/news/broadcastcenter/expert.cfm?expertid=79 assistant professor of medicine at BCM and a registered dietitian. “It's a good idea to eat a salad before your meal because the fiber helps fill you up and that can modify how hungry you are.”

 In some ways, all lettuce is much the same. Iceberg, romaine, loose leaf and butter lettuce all contain a lot of water and a comparable amount of calories – about 5 calories per half-cup shredded lettuce. But when preparing a salad, it's best to select darker lettuce because it contains more nutrients.

 Dark green lettuce is a good source of vitamin A as well as some antioxidants. Incorporating plenty of fruits and veggies, including lettuce, that are darker yellow, orange and green in color is an important part of the diet, Reeves said.

 An even better choice for salads is spinach. It's higher in fiber and also contains iron, potassium and vitamins A and C.

 “Spinach is more nutritionally adequate than dark green lettuce,” Reeves said. “If you want to eat something even a little better for you than green leafy lettuce, go for spinach or combine them – just throw some in your salad.”

 The easiest way to ruin the benefits of lettuce though is to load it up with high-calorie additions. Topping salad with creamy salad dressing, nuts, avocado, cheese and croutons will neutralize that caloric advantage of lettuce and spinach, Reeves said.

 She advises:

-Using a low-fat or fat-free dressing or a  small amount of oil  plus  vinegar or balsamic vinegar

 -Ordering dressing on the side

 -Dipping a biteful of salad into dressing rather than pouring it over the top

 -Avoiding high-calorie toppings

 -Using fresh squeezed lemon juice rather than dressing

 “Be especially careful about what you add to a salad. Load up on bell peppers, onions, carrots and other vegetables that are low-calorie,” Reeves said. “If you can do that, then I say eat salad, and eat a lot of it.”