FoodBozo.com

Three of the most popular items in the produce aisle are also the least nutritious options.

We’re not here to demonize any form of produce. After all, every veggie has at least some nutritional value — and we all need to include more vegetables in our diets, not less!

But if you’re wondering whether to use iceberg or romaine in your signature summer salad, you may want to check out our list of the veggies with the least nutritional value:

1. Celery: Sure, you can nosh on 8 inches of celery for only 6 calories, but are you really getting any nutrients in return? The answer: Yes, but you’d have to go beyond an 8-inch stalk, which provides a mere 1.6 percent of our daily requirement for calcium and 2 percent of our daily requirement for vitamin C. It does, however, boast a decent amount of fiber and vitamin K. A better alternative: Carrots, which are loaded with eye-protecting beta carotene. Toss them into salads for a low-calorie crunch; braise them as a sweet summer side dish or slice them thin and add them to your favorite stir-fry.

Read more: The 3 Veggies with the Least Nutritional Value

Whenever I go out to eat at an Indian restaurant, I make sure the meal includes plenty of raita on the side. Raita is a yogurt-based condiment that can help douse the fire if a dish is just a little to hot and spicy. In much the same way that sour cream or crema fresca is served with chili-infused Mexican food, the casein in the yogurt absorbs capsaicin, the compound that gives chili its heat. Raita can be used as a sauce or a dip. This raita is made with cucumber and mint because I have plenty of mint growing around the yard and cucumbers are plentiful at the farmers market. You could easily use cilantro instead of the mint, or carrots or papaya in place of the cucumbers.

Read more here: Cucumber Mint Raita