vitamin K

I crave greens, no matter the season. When it is cold outside, I often choose a cooked green over salads. I just want to eat warm food. One of my favorites greens to cook is Swiss chard, and it comes in colors too. The leaves are green, but the stems and veins can be white, yellow or red. The red is my favorite since the color combination is quite dramatic.

Not only is it tasty, and similar to spinach and beet greens, but chard is also loaded with nutrients. It is a great source of vitamin K and vitamin A. One cup of cooked chard contains half of your daily recommended intake of vitamin C and 3.5 grams of fiber. It also provides 30 percent of your RDI for magnesium and 25 percent of the valuable mineral potassium.

Are you convinced yet? This is a super food. Don't know what to do to the chard? Just rip the leaves from the stems. Chop up the stems and sauté the leaves and stems with olive oil and garlic. Or you could try out this recipe: Whole Wheat Pasta with Chicken, Chard and Peppers. It is truly delish!

Are you a fan of Swiss chard? Tell me your favorite way to prepare it in the comments section below.

When I was little I thought salad came in two forms: iceberg and spinach. In those day I wasn't particularly a fan of either. Times have changed and I am all about greens — even cooked ones. My new fave is escarole, which is a type of endive and considered the least bitter of that leafy veggie family.

One cup of chopped raw escarole has only 7 calories and contains one gram of fiber. It is a good source of vitamin A and vitamin C. Escarole is also high in Vitamin K and other anti-inflammatory minerals. Escarole is a great addition to soups and pasta dishes, but I like it simply sautéed with garlic and olive oil.

Fit's Tips: Escarole is in season now and should be available at farmers' markets through out the fall. Make sure to wash your greens thoroughly since dirt and sand can get trapped between its leaves. To prepare the leaves for cooking simply tear them into bite size pieces, no need to use a knife.

To see how I cook escarole just read more

I really do love avocados. I might even marry one, that is how deeply I adore this veggie, or technically fruit - but an avocado in any other category would still be just as creamy and delish.

Spring is the season when avocados are at their peak, but since they are grown in California (primarily Hass variety) and Florida (mostly Fuerte) there is usually a decent supply all year round. Since this is their season, I am hoping to see the price fall a bit, because in the off season avocados may be available but pricey.

Aside from their exquisite taste and texture, avocados are chock full of wonderful nutrients. They are high in vitamin K, potassium, and dietary fiber. I love that this smooth textured veggie contains fiber - about 3.5 grams per half cup - a wonderful surprise, I know.

Avocados also contain oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat, the good kind of fat since it may help to lower cholesterol. Plus, oleic acid has recently been shown to offer significant protection against breast cancer - always a bonus for the ladies. Another reason to add avocado to your salad is that it increases your body's ability to absorb the health-promoting carotenoids that vegetables provide. I love that there are so many reasons to add one of my favorite foods to everything.

I suggest adding avocado to your sandwiches, salads, even spreading it on toast in the morning - that is when I refer to avocados as vegan butter. Plus there is always guacamole. Here's a tip from YumSugar on how to avoid yucky avocados.

If you love avocado, tell me your favorite way to eat it below in the comments section. Let's spread the avocado love around!!!!

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Peas...you either love 'em or hate 'em. But have you ever had FRESH peas? As in not frozen and not canned? Peas that you shell yourself, in the privacy of your own kitchen?

Known as English Peas or Garden Peas, these little legumes are a sweet treat and are in season now through about May. Seems that peas don't do well when it gets too hot. Their arrival is a sure sign that Spring is here. Plus, when veggies are in season they cost considerably less than their off season prices.

While peas might be time consuming to shell, their candy like flavor is sure to please your palate. While naturally low fat good, peas got a bad rap from all those low carb diets since they are naturally high in sugars and carbohydrates. A one cup serving contains 8 grams of sugars and 21 grams of carbs. On the other hand peas are high in vitamins K and C, magnesium, folate and thiamin (vitamin B1).

Peas are great in pasta and risotto. Since peas pair well with mint, they would be a great addition to PartySugar's Lemon Mint Risotto.

Eat 'em fresh while you can!!!!

I can always tell when asparagus season is starting...usually in mid February, prices for the veggie start to slowly creep downwards. Now, the season is in full swing - I just had some incredible tandoori asparagus at my favorite Indian restaurant. YUM!!!

There are three types of asparagus: green, white and purple. Green being the most common. Not only is the veggie loaded with antioxidant vitamins A and C, it is off the chart with Vitamin K. One cup contains 114% of you daily value requirement. It is a natural diuretic and might help reduce water retention during PMS. Due to its high folate content, asparagus is considered a birth defect fighter.

Two things about asparagus:
One - It will make your urine smell funny, but that doesn't mean it is bad for you. It is just a by product of your body breaking down some of the natural chemicals found in the plant.
Two - It is considered an aphrodisiac, based soley on its shape. Hmmmm....I will let you work it out from there.

So eat up and enjoy - asparagus is in season until early June.

Fit's Tip: Don't cut the bottoms off the spears, just bend each piece of asparagus, and it will snap just where it needs to. Toss the bottom parts. Or better yet - compost them!!!

For a long time I was confused about Vitamin K — particularly its relationship to Special K the cereal. Plus, I wasn't really sure what the vitamin did for the human body. Basically I thought vitamins stopped at the letter E, so this one sounded fake. Then I had a baby and two seconds after she came out, she got a shot of vitamin K in her tiny little heel. OUCH!!!!
So I did some research; I wanted to know why the nice nurse was poking my baby with a needle so early in her little newborn life. I found out that Vitamin K is all about the blood, you need the vitamin to make clots. It is called Vitamin K since coagulation starts with a K in German (and maybe just because the name "Vitamin C" was already taken). It is given (how is that for a euphemism for injection?) to newborns to prevent bleeding problems related to birth trauma. Some folks also take it before surgery for the same reasons.

Another thing to note, Vitamin K is a fat soluble vitamin, so your body can store it in your fat. This is one reason why vitamin K deficiency is rare. Deficiency mainly occurs when the body can't properly absorb the vitamins from the intestinal tract, or from long term antibiotics use. The antibiotics kill the good bacteria (flora) that produce Vitamin K.

Vitamin K is abundant in leafy green vegetables such as spinach and lettuce, as well as kale, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and brussel sprouts. It is also found in wheat bran (eat those whole grains), cereals (so maybe there is some Special K connection), cow's milk and other dairy products. The RDA for vitamin K for an adult woman is between 60 and 65 micrograms a day. Two tablespoons of parsley contains 153% of the recommended daily amount of Vitamin K.