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By Emma Haak


Jo Robinson, author of Eating on the Wild Side [1] , shares her secrets for getting the healthiest varieties of veggies[2] -- wherever you shop.



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  • Cauliflower


    Opt for purple Graffiti and green Romanesco cauliflower -- they can contain twice the antioxidants as the white kind we commonly buy.




  • Carrots


    Say no to baby carrots. Since their outer layer is stripped away, they lose one-third of the antioxidants. Buy a bunch with the greens attached and cut them into sticks yourself.




  • Onions


    Go for the ones that bring on the tears. In a lab study, extracts from strong-tasting onions were more effective at killing liver cancer cells than those from mild onions.




  • Asparagus


    To test for freshness, rub two stalks together. If they squeak, buy 'em. Fresh asparagus still has a waxy coating that creates the sound.






5 Healthy And Cheap Ingredients You Need To Put In Your Shopping Cart (No Beans!)

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  • The Don't-Tell-Anybody Spice Rack Secret


    <b>Cost:</b> $1.19 for an 8-ounce container Attention veg-o-phobes: <i>Foodist</i> author Darya Rose has an insanely easy trick for making even broccoli taste great: Sprinkle a tiny bit of garlic salt on top. She learned about this supermarket staple -- which is just a mixture of dried ground garlic, salt and an anti-caking agent such as calcium silicate -- from a veggie burrito shop in Berkeley, Calif. "Their vegetables were always so good, and I finally figured out why: They sprinkled garlic salt on top," she says. Just don't confuse it with garlic powder, which is finer and easier to overdo.




  • The Super Herb


    <b>Cost:</b> Less than $2 for a bunch We're not sure when, exactly, parsley got relegated to garnish status, but Rose says it deserves to be the most-used herb in any cook's repertoire. Go for the Italian, flat-leaf kind (as opposed to the curly variety, which truly is better as a decoration). A bunch will keep for at least a week, if not longer (whereas other similar herbs, like cilantro, quickly become slimy). Parsley's fresh, bright flavor makes good-for-you, if potentially boring, foods (like grilled chicken or fish) taste much more flavorful, and if you chop it finely, it can bring some pizzazz to tired green salads.




  • Insta-Flavor In A Jar


    <b>Cost:</b> $6 for 8 ounces Many Japanese cooks rely on dashi, a stock made with water, seaweed and dried fish flakes, for the savory taste known as umami. Rose is a huge fan, too; she buys it in a powdered form at her grocery store, dissolves a smidgen in some water, and pours a few teaspoons into a stir-fry (the broth makes tofu and veggies taste as if they've been simmering in a delicious sauce for hours). If chicken or beef stocks are more familiar to you than dashi, though, Rose suggests keeping a jar of <a href="http://www.superiortouch.com/retail/products/better-than-bouillon" target="blank">Better Than Bouillon</a> in your fridge; the concentrated paste also delivers rich flavor in just a small amount. It's terrific with beans or lentils, or mashed potatoes, parsnips or cauliflower; just stir a teaspoon in with the butter and milk when you're pureeing the vegetables.




  • The Misunderstood Little Fish


    <b>Cost:</b> $3.30 for a 2.8-ounce jar Poor anchovies -- they just need a little respect. Banish the thought of entire raw ones sitting on pizza or Caesar salad and follow Rose's advice. She thinks of them as seasoning, an ingredient that adds a deeply flavored, salty-in-a-good-way (but not at all fishy) taste to almost any food (they're a revelation with cauliflower). She likes to buy the kind that come in jars, packed in oil. She dices two or three, adds them to a pan with garlic and olive oil, and then tosses in some vegetables. The reaction, Rose says, will be something along the lines of, "Mmm, that's delicious. How did you <i>do</i> that?"




  • The Condiment That Goes Way Beyond Hot Dogs


    <b>Cost:</b> $1.80 for 8 ounces Most people have a bottle or jar of mustard in their fridge but don't realize how versatile it can be. Rose likes the basic yellow kind, which is <a href="http://www.oprah.com/food/Mustard-facts-and-buying-information" target="blank">mild and creamy and gets its color from turmeric</a>, a powerful antioxidant. Brush some on chicken before roasting for an easy and low-calorie marinade. Or add a small squirt to a jar of oil and vinegar, then screw on the lid and shake to give salad some zip. One more genius idea: <a href="http://www.oprah.com/food/Grilled-Chicken-Spinach-and-Cashew-Salad-with-Honey-Mustard-Dressing" target="blank">Follow this recipe</a>, where mustard is the key component in a sauce that works as both a cooking sauce and a dressing.