| Spinach | This leafy green vegetable should be high on your weekly grocery list. The leaves are full of nutrition: spinach is high in the antioxidant lutein, one of the eye's main antioxidants. The more spinach you eat, the less risk you may run of macular degeneration, and age-related deterioration of the central retina. Spinach is also higher in protein than most leafy greens, and it has high levels of vitamin A and folate, as well. It helps that spinach is so versatile--from salad and soup to pizza topping or sauteed side dish, it's easy to find space for spinach in your diet. |
| Spinning | Spinning is a group exercise class that involves riding stationary bikes to music. The Spin bike is designed with a 30-pound flywheel and a resistance knob; the weight underneath you keeps you stable, and the resistance knob lets you make the ride more or less challenging. Classes often mimic an outdoor ride, and you vary the terrain by changing the resistance or gears on your bike. Spinning is a great cardiovascular workout: on average, participants burn 400 to 500 calories in a 45-minute class. |
| Sun Protection Factor (SPF) | Sun Protection Factor, more commonly known as SPF, is a measure of a sunscreen’s ability to protect your skin from sun damage. If your unprotected skin starts to turn red in 10 minutes, using an SPF 30 sunscreen theoretically prevents reddening 30 times longer, or about five hours. According to the American Cancer Society, adults spending time outdoors need to use at least one ounce of sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher, and reapply to skin every two hours. Clothing can also provide protection from the sun’s UVA (ultraviolet A) and UVB (ultraviolet B) rays. Specialized lines of outdoor wear offer an SPF of 30 or higher. |
| Sweet Potatoes | A root vegetable filled with vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, sweet potatoes are a healthy choice with great flavor and versatility. Sweet potatoes have more of the antioxidant beta-carotene than any other vegetable. Its levels of vitamin A are practically off the charts, and it's high in vitamins C and E, too. Baked with the skin, sweet potatoes are high in fiber and low in fat. In the kitchen, they can be added to curries and soups, baked whole, or sliced lengthwise, tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roasted for sweet potato fries. |
| Swiss Chard | A relative of beets and spinach, chard is a leafy green with long, fibrous stalks. Popular in Mediterranean cooking, chard can be used in many of the same ways as spinach: steamed or blanched, added to soups, or used as fillings in various savory tarts, pies, and stuffed pastas. The flavor is earthy and deeper than spinach. Steamed chard leaves are also wonderful stuffed with rice, ground meat, pine nuts and raisins. The often woody stalks turn tender when chopped and sauteed, and can be tossed in oil with the leaves, nuts and raisins and served as a side dish. Chard is available year-round in the supermarket, but best in the late spring and summer. This versatile leafy green is high in vitamins A and C, as well as iron. |
