There's more to it than just "drink more water."

In all likelihood, the single most important thing about the water you drink, beside removing any harmful chemicals or heavy metals, such as chloride, fluoride (fluorosilicic acid), and lead, while keeping the healthy minerals, because our body does need the electrolytes (don't drink Distilled-, or Reverse Osmosis-, or even ZeroWater Water without adding the needed minerals such as Concentrace Trace Minerals or Trace Minerals 40,000 Volts), is the presence of H- which makes the water into the most powerful anti-oxidant you could ever find.

Research on this issue has been profoundly confused, and apparently back when someone in Japan filed for a license to manufacture and sell electrolyzed water machines, a.k.a. ionizers, in ca 1962 no one had an explanation for the apparent health benefits, but the most readily observable feature of ERW (Electrolyzed Reduced Water), was its elevated pH, and hence the alkalinity of the water was mistaken for the explanation for its apparent health benefits. Except... that explanation made no sense. For more information see the website of the Molecular Hydrogen Foundation, and their page on Water Ionizers.

Looking a bit deeper, the Alkaline water from electrolysis also seemed to have anti-oxidant properties, and for a while the industry became obsessed with the ORP as a presumed indicator of the anti-oxidant properties of the water, but that was not the answer either. It would not be till 1997, when research published by Prof. Sanetaka Shirahata of Kyoto University finally put the world on the right track. The key to it all was the presence of H- ions (Hydride) in ERW, some thing that had previously been considered impossible, as it was thought H- could not persist but for a few nano seconds.

The ERW vs Alkalinity confusion

Apparently, the first "approvals" of  water electrolysis machines in Japan, where the technology originated, goes back to 1954 or thereabouts, and at the time the alkalinity of the water was thought to be its distinguishing feature, and the explanation for the reported health benefits. The "approval" however apparently was not more meaningful than is a UL-listing here: it attests that the machine is safe to use, and not that the claims associated with it are true. But the descriptor of alkaline water stuck, and became the basis of an industry mythology of dubious claims that persists to this day. At various other times there also was a claim that the electrolysis caused "micro clusters" of water molecules, and made hydration easier, again without convincing scientific basis, although it does seem that the presence of Hydride in the water comes in clusters. Gradually however, it became clear that the issue was that by electrolysis water with low ORP (Oxidation Reduction Potential) was produced on the cathodic side of the electrolysis process, and that seemed to relate to the effectiveness of the water in respect of health.

In the end it turns out that neither the high pH, nor the low ORP are the issue, merely corollaries to what is going on, which is the formation of H- ions, a.k.a. active hydrogen, the negative hydrogen ion, more usually called Hydride. Ionizers may produce alkaline water, but that has nothing to do with the price of beans. What they are is water electrolysis machines, that is at least an accurate description of what they do. Electrolyzed water machine is a workable nomenclature, since otherwise it is such a mouthful. They produce two outputs from ordinary tap water, one alkaline and the other acidic, one good for drinking and the other for cleaning/disinfection. However, the only satisfactory explanation for the health benefits were documented in the above referenced article in BBRC (Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications), in 1997. The principal author was Prof. Sanetaka Shirahata, of  Kyushu University. To all intents and purposes this is the seminal article on the health benefits of drinking ERW.

The machines are still widely marketed as 'ionizers' or 'alkaline water' machines, Electrolyzed Water Machines, and many other names. As noted, alkalinity of the water is a mere side effect. If the alkalinity were of the essence, you could add minerals to your water for pennies per gallon, and you would not need another pricey piece of household equipment. 

The Seminal Research of Prof. Shirahata
Back in 1997, when Prof. Sanetaka Shirahata published his paper demonstrating the effectiveness of ERW (Electrolyzed Reduced Water) as an anti-oxidant, it was somewhat controversial that he ascribed that effect to the persistence of H-, the negative hydrogen ion, or hydride in water, presumably for as much as 30 days.
Here is the reference to the article:

“Electrolyzed-Reduced Water Scavenges Active Oxygen Species and Protects DNA from Oxidative Damage”

Sanetaka Shirahata, Shirgeru Kabayama, Mariko Nakano, Takumi Miura, Kenichi Kusumoto, Miho Gotoh, Hidemitsu Hayashi, Kazumichi Otsubo, Shinkatsu Morisawa, and Yoshinori Katakura

Published in: Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Vol. 234, No.1, May 8, 1997

I was in Japan in 1999 and met with Nihon-Trim, the manufacturer of ERW machines, who was also one of the sponsors of Prof. Shirahata's work. I also met with Dr. Hidemitso Hayashi, a cardiologist who was a participant in that study, and a big actor in the ERW industry. In 1996 he had published a book in Japanese: "Active Hydrogen Liberates Mankind from Disease," (Japanese, ISBN 4-8454-1133-4). Dr. Hayashi parted ways with the manufacturers of "water ionizers" because he claimed to have found a cheaper, better way to produce H- in water, with a mineral-based stick to stir the water. The ERW people thought he was crazy, because theoretically it should take energy to produce the H- ion. Hayashi persisted, and you can find his information a.o. here: http://www.hydrogeninmywaterbottle.com and his Amazon page, here (mostly Japanese only).

Hydride Rich Water

It may now be time for a new acronym: HRW, Hydrogen Rich Water. Note that the Japanese, with Dr. Hayashi leading the parade, have a habit of speaking of Hydrogen Rich water, but the proper word in English of the H- ionic form is Hydride, as was pointed out to me by an old friend, Prof. Edward Dratz, of the Biochemistry Dept. of Montana State University. However, a valid reason to stick to the term Hydrogen Rich Water may be the fact that the rH (relative Hydrogen score), actually measures all simple forms of H, inclucing H2, H-, as Vinny Pinto points out in his article on the issue. Stick to the abbreviation HRW, which is the same in either case.

On the same site you can also find extensive documentation of both the theory and the research of Hydrogen rich water.

• http://www.hydrogeninmywaterbottle.com/html/redox.html
• http://www.hydrogeninmywaterbottle.com/html/research.html
• http://www.hydrogeninmywaterbottle.com/html/science.html

And there are more and more reports about this issue. An interesting collection of material can be found on a website by one Vinny Pinto, where extensive documentation is shown of the fact that Hydride can and does persist in water, and how this fact is getting increasing recognition in water treatment, beer brewing, and advanced aquarium keeping:

• http://h-minus-ion.vpinf.com/index.html

All in all, the first test is simple, you can actually taste the difference. Hydrogen rich water has a smoother sensation than regular water, and many people who don't like to drink water find themselves suddenly able to drink water. It will be very interesting to see what kind of research we are going to see about the health effects of hydrogen rich water. Here is one article:

• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2831093/

The conclusion of this study seems pretty significant to me, and they used a Hydrogen stick that is on the market as DHW, Docter's Hydrogen Water in the test:

In conclusion, consumption of hydrogen rich water generated via a magnesium stick demonstrated improvement in the levels of oxidative stress markers associated with metabolic syndrome and boosted the body’s antioxidant activity. Hydrogen rich water represents a potentially novel therapeutic and preventive strategy for the treatment of metabolic syndrome. This method of delivery was advantageous as magnesium sticks are portable and proved to be an easy and safe administration of hydrogen rich water for daily consumption.

You can find the same Hydrogen stick that was apparently used in this study online, on Ebay, as Docter's Hydrogen Water here.

Meanwhile I also notice that there are now a growing number of products available that claim to achieve the same results , under names like Alkaline Water Stick, Power Ionic Health Ion Water Purifier Stick (I did not make that up), Portable Water Ionizer Alkaline Water Stick, Second Stage Hydro Pen and Third Stage Hydro Pen, and a Santevia Alkaline Water Stick. I have no idea how good they all are.

In short, there is a whole array of new solutions emerging, and it may be worthwhile to try them out for yourself. The sensory experience of Hydrogen rich water is different, and in many cases people who don't like drinking water do like this type of water, and, needless to say, it is very good for them. The hard part is not to get confused by the pseudo-scientific gobbledygook and stick to the worthwhile research, but clearly there is now a growing body of such research. Enough to warrant taking this seriously and finding out for yourself, for a potent anti-oxidant drinking water is nothing to be sneezed at! Not to mention it should help large numbers of people get rid of any allergy problems which are after all simply a function of a weakened immune system, and possibly many more serious health issues.

The Relative Hydrogen Score, rH

Some of the claims are bound to be bogus, especially if they focus on alkalinity. You can always use an ORP meter, and you should be seeing a negative value, probably in the -150 to -200 range. But ORP alone is not an absolute indicator of anti-oxidant value. You need to compute the rH, relative Hydrogen score, which is a truer indication of the anti-oxidant properties of the water, to find out. The formula is discussed here:

• Simply put, rH = ((ORP + 205) / 29.58 + (2 x pH)). 
• The scale runs from zero to 42, and below 28 the water is reducing, and above 28 it is oxidizing. 

Just drinking water may not be enough, but drinking HRW may make a significant difference...

Of Cauliflower and Curry Sauce, Black Rice and Roasted Mushrooms

Cauliflower is plentiful just now, and with the many Bangladeshi markets in my area, good curry is not hard to find... not to mention one nearby building is nicknamed (among Bangladeshis) the curry palace, because it has such an overwhelmingly Bangladeshi community. Steamed cauliflower with curry sauce is an old favorite, that I had not made for many years, but with the new vegan regime, I suddenly got interested again.

Black Rice is great stuff, it tastes terrific, and it has high nutritional value. It also makes for an interesting contrast with the white of the cauliflower, and I like this particular combination better than cauliflower with brown rice (white rice of course is a no, no). I cook it in my trusty old Zojirushi rice cooker like brown rice, on the GABA Brown Rice cycle. Black Rice is easy to find in my area. The Chang-Li supermarket usually stocks at least two varieties, a Chinese one, and my favorite from a company named Heartland:

Heartland Products at Chang-Li in the Indian section

From the same company comes also a lovely black quinoa, which I love also. 

According to the Wikipedia article cited above, black rice contains iron, vitamin E, and more antioxidants than Blueberries. What more do you want? But the Wikipedia article continues: Black rice contains essential amino acid like lysine, Tryptophan; vitamins such as vitamin B1, vitamin B2, folic acid; and is a good source of minerals including iron, zinc, calcium and phosphorus. And, like I mentioned above it creates an interesting picture on your plate with the cauliflower.

The Recipe

If you don't have a steamer, Chang-Li has classic bamboo steamers. So, steaming the cauliflower is easy. Rice I usually make ahead for a few days, then comes the critical piece, the curry sauce, based on a recipe from Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-based Cure (page 163). Esselstyn's book is the Bible of the "plant perfect," a.k.a. "no-oil vegan,"  diet. My principal difference with the Esselstyn recipe is that I don't want to be too stingy on the curry, so for his 1-2 teaspoons, I substituted 1-2 tablespoons, and I use heaping tablespoons to boot, but the amount will vary with the type of curry you are using.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown rice
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1-2 tablespoons white miso
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1-2 heaping tablespoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon of arrowroot, dissolved in water. (Added last)

Preparation:

1. Blend the rice and water together in a blender, food processor, Nutribullet, Vitamix, etc. to liquify the rice.
2. Add the nutritional yeast, white miso, garlic powder and curry powder, blend together.
3. Bring to a boil over low flame, stirring continuously.
4. Turn off the heat and add the dissolved arrowroot to thicken.

This is the best curry sauce recipe I have ever found, and it makes a nice, thick sauce if you get the arrowroot right.
It could not be easier: pour a liberal helping of this curry sauce on your cauliflower on the plates. Serve with roasted mushrooms (with rosemary), or a Seitan or Kao-Fu stew, or some bean dish to complement the proteins in the rice.

For the record, Arrowroot can always be found at Chang-Li too in the West Indian section, and they also have some excellent organic miso, both white and red.
Around here the nutritional yeast can be found at Good n Natural, at 2173 White Plains Road.

The more I get into this, the more fun I have with all the new recipes.

Vegan Supplements?

The business of supplements is in ill repute, and justifiably so. It is too easy to claim miracles and lose track of the well being of the customers if there's money in exaggerating claims. Then, there are pharmacological interactions of supplements together, and supplements with any drugs you may be taking. The good news is that many vegans find they can reduce their reliance on drugs, many degenerative health problems tend to go away with a vegan diet. I write about this with some hesitation, since I am neither a doctor, nor a nutritionist, let alone a pharmacologist, so this is just a bit of personal experience, for what it is worth.

There may a few issues that vegans should be conscious of and one of them is this little piece of advice from a friend who is a biochemistry researcher, who specializes in everything to do with the immune system. I am not using his name, but I've known him for some seventeen years, ever since I once recruited him as the science adviser for a company I was helping to improve their business in the nutritional area. There may legitimately be some nutrition that is harder to get on a plant-based diet than otherwise, so here goes with the advice from my friend:

You can get vegetarian DHA and now EPA supplements that are produced from algae and these are probably the most important nutrients.  If we did not get so much omega 6 in our diets (high in all seeds, most all grains and thus corn and soy fed meats and eggs) we could make our own EPA and  DHA in our bodies, but the high omega 6 in most diets blocks our ability to make EPA and DHA. 

 Here are some options:

• Vegetarian and Vegan DHA 
• Vegetarian and Vegan EPA and EPA+DHA 
• Note that some of the products combine both, so you have options galore.

By the way, in any of this it pays to do your own research, but it is interesting to note that while the Harvard nutrition program is a heck of a lot better today than it ever was, and it even allows that a vegan lifestyle might be healthy, in general it still marches to the tune of the industrial agriculture which dominates the nutritional advice in this country, and has more to do with their wallets than your health. Having said that, there was this interesting blog by one faculty member, John McDonough on the boston.com website: Dept. of Eating: Why Vegan?

The very interesting back story, of which I became aware also thanks to my friend whose advice I cited above, is that Frederick Stare, who founded the nutrition program at Harvard was one of the chief public advocates for SAD, the Standard American Diet. Here was one of the, or perhaps the leader in nutrition in America whose point of departure always was that everything was healthy until proven otherwise, and he defended the food industry in the extreme, including becoming a protagonist for sugar, and coke and food additives in general. He became a leading promoter of that worst scientific fraud of them all, the fluoridation of drinking water, because it protected the sugar industry, and cereal makers such as Kelloggs, not your health. On the positive side, he did promote the drinking of more water, which is essential. And... last not least, it has taken till now, but the world is shifting away from water fluoridation, which has long since been exposed as one of the worst scientific hoaxes of the twentieth century. It merely served to solve a toxic waste problem for the fertilizer industry, by turning hexaflorosilicic acid magically from an expensive toxic waste problem into a profitable water additive opportunity. Interestingly, some of the most damning studies about the ill effects of water fluoridation have come from Harvard lately, including the connection between fluoridation and reduced IQ in children.

So maybe, just maybe Harvard could wake up one day and begin to seriously address the sordid nexus between agribusiness, the healthcare system and the sickening American Diet. If Harvard's own John McDonough can discuss it in the media, perhaps the time will come that this can be discussed, although it may actually belong in the area of Economics and the Environment.

Besides drinking water, the only other supplements that I think are really essential are NAC-Sustain and Glycine, to boost the immune system if you're over 40, since your body's natural production of glutathione (GSH) declines precipitously. Again, this is just my personal observation, built up from experience.

Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead - more inspiration for the vegan lifestyle...

I am devouring these diet and lifestyle documentaries - Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead was the latest one. The more I delve into this, the clearer it becomes that this too is simply another addiction... "comfort food," OMG!
It is amazing to see how many of these testimonials there are, and the success stories are profound, with people who were on ten different medications getting off of all of them. It's one long litany of self-inflicted wounds and the medical profession as the enablers. Let's make a provisional list:

1. Water, water, water, and almost all antacids are superfluous, remember Dr. Batmanghelidj, and his book Your Body's Many Cries for Water.
2. Clearly the implications of Forks Over Knives, and Forks Over Knives Presents: The Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue, are showing the way to many and clearly increasing my resolve.
3. The Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead movies are unbelievably powerful, and again there is a whole list of support sites, such as www.rebootwithjoe.com and www.fatsickandnearlydead.com.
4. The upshot is:
1. The ED epidemic is merely the first warning sign of circulatory illness, but what do we do? We develop Viagra, instead of fixing the underlying health problem.
2. The allergy epidemic is the another hoax: drinking more water is the answer, and possibly some supplements to support the immune system as you get older, for it is simply true that the production of GSH (Glutathione) goes down above age forty.
3. Hypertension, high cholesterol and their attendant medications are all for 90% or more simply enabling people continuing an unhealthy lifestyle.
4. Type 2 diabetes is another self-inflicted wound, but we continue to let the USDA be in charge of nutritional advice, in service of Food, Inc - Oh, and by the way, that was a great documentary also.

In short, as more people are waking up to these possibilities and feeling empowered to take responsibility for their own health, the real change to the medical- industrial complex is only just beginning. Obama care is not the answer. Of course better medical coverage is desirable, but it is absurd to promote unhealthy food in school, and subsidize bad food, and not to be able to afford our medical system. Time to wake up and smell the coffee... or the vegetable juice!

Forks over Knives, with black bean salsa

Finally the time came to watch Forks over Knives, the brilliant documentary about the vegan life style, which for me ties it all together. I already have the FOK recipe app on my phone, which is a tremendous inspiration for recipes. Then there is also the Engine2Diet site and book - and there are the excellent books by Dr. Esselstyn, In short, sources of inspiration to learn vegan cooking abound.

What an inspiration to see people who dump a whole regimen of medications, and instead simply commit to eating a healthy, vegan diet. I have now had that same experience myself twice, the first time, almost thirty years ago, I asked my doctor exactly what a certain allergy medication did (it was Claritin), and when he explained it, I said don't even bother writing the prescription - all it does is suppress the symptoms. I was determined to find the cause instead, and, besides drinking more water, after trying numerous supplements that promise to boost glutathione (GSH), which is the core of your immune system, I ended up on the advice of a biochemist friend using Jarrow's NAC Sustain, which is a sustained release N-Acetyl Cysteine, combined with a 500 mg Glycine, at a combined cost of less than $10 per month. Not only did my allergies go away, I have barely had a cold to speak of ever since then, and that was 25 years ago. The poor doctor would have had me on Claritin from then on out. The same thing happened again at my physical in 2014, when the doctor found me 'slightly overweight' at 190 lbs, and marginally hypertensive, I took the BP meds for a while, but by May 2015, I went vegan instead, and without effort I'm down to 166 lbs, and feeling noticeably better and I am sure at my next physical I will pass with flying colors.

Clearly, the economics are that we cannot afford to continue the SAD, Standard American Diet, which by the way was similar to the SDD, the Standard Dutch Diet that I was raised on. Despite being raised a vegetarian, there was a deep conviction that animal proteins in the form of milk were essential. Now it is clear, animal proteins promote cancer growth, plant-based proteins do not, and the over-consumption of fats and sugars feed into diabetes and heart disease. The whole ED-epidemic is just an early warning signal of compromised circulatory systems, and the canary in the coalmine for heart disease. In short, the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries thrive on sick-care, preserving illness and tending to more and more sick people, who follow the USDA dietary guidelines, which serve the agricultural industry, instead of worthwhile nutrition and healthy eating habits. I've looked more deeply into the environmental economics recently, in a parallel post on my green energy blog, here.     

I definitely use all of the resources listed above, and more, for inspiration, and recently I also visited a vegan supper club in the Bronx, on Meetup that is hosted at a private home in the Throggs Neck section (still walking distance for me). What an inspiration that was! And the experience of many people is that once they make the change, they make it quickly and lose the urge to go back, because they feel so much better. My own private little vegan joke is that the butcher on my street has a daughter who's vegan, and admits that meat is heavy to digest, but like so many who never seriously tried, he feels like he didn't eat if he did not have meat. He is a very nice man, whose store has been there for 50 years, and even now I stop in for a chat periodically, even if I don't eat meat any more. He's going to retire sooner than later, and who knows, maybe he'll switch to vegan too, that would be hoot.

As part of the further exploration for vegan shopping in the area, I made my regular expedition to Good 'n Natural on Weschester Avenue by Pelham Parkway the other day. It is always a delight to shop there. Their organic  produce selection is always great, but yesterday I was hunting for rice cakes, and fortuitously found a whole selection and some were even on sale. Some supermarket rice cakes are made with white rice, but the health food store variety are made with whole grain rice, and nowadays they have many flavors, including with wild rice, etc.

I use the rice cakes to serve one of my favorite snacks of the moment, which is Black Bean Salsa. Here is the basic version from Ann Crile Esselstyn that is posted on Meetup in the No Oil Vegan, Dr. Esselstyn's & Rip's E2 Diet NE Ohio:
http://www.meetup.com/Dr-Es-Vegan-No-Oil-Diet-Cleveland-Akron-Ohio/pages/Recipes_by_Ann_Crile_Esselstyn/

You can make endless variations on this simple salsa, with adding non-GMO corn to the black beans (one can of each), or different kinds of salsa, and adding more peppers, depending on how hot you like it. Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce, or Jalapeno's (or both, or, eh well, if you're totally no-oil, skip the adobo sauce...). As a light snack on a puffed whole grain rice cake, or with corn chips, you can eat this any time of the day, I love it... I am continuing to have more fun with interesting dishes than ever before, and the weekends become the time to cook some staples of rice, and beans, ahead for the week so I have an easy time putting meals together.

What to do with a Jicama?

In my neighborhood this one involves a serious run to Chang Li Supermarket... and in fact this is often how the process starts: when I see a vegetable or a fruit there that I do not already know, I start looking up what you can do with it.

The first time I bought a Jicama, I just used it in another salad, and that was not convincing, but it got my curiosity started. The nutritional qualities of Jicama seem to be impeccable, so more experimentation was called for.

I ended up making a creamy salad dressing with silken tofu, and mustard, and chia seeds. The end result was finger licking good.

Like with any salad, you can throw anything plus the kitchen sink in there once you figure out the tastes... I could see adding adding raisins or craisins, and you can keep on experimenting.

Here is the basic recipe I ended up with:

This one started from a recipe on epicurious, here. My problem with that one was that it uses dairy, so instead, I made my own creamy dressing with silken tofu instead of cheese. 

• Peel the Jicama (note, the skin reportedly is actually poisenous, so do a good job of it!) 
• Grate the Jicama with a mandoline to matchstick size. 
• Peel ca 5-8 Clementines, and cut the slices in half 
• Grate a small red onion to match stick size. 

Mix the ingredients.

Tofu/Mustard Dressing: 

1. 16 Oz package silken tofu, drained 
2. 1 cup seasoned rice vinegar, or apple cider vinegar 
3. 2 garlic cloves, peeled 
4. 1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro 
5. 1/4 cup scallion thinly sliced 
6. 3 table spoons honey 
7. 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil 
8. 2 teaspoons low sodium tamari, or Braggs Liquid Aminos (1/3rd the sodium level of even low sodium tamari) 
9. 1/2 teaspoon hot chili flakes (to taste... I could use 2-3 teaspoons) 

Blend with any good blender, food processor, or Nutribullet, and create a rich, creamy dressing. 
For this Jicama salad, I like to add in about 1-3 table spoons of mustard. 
You can add raw green pumpkin seeds, or chia seeds, or wheat germ to the eventual salad.

Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/recipe/3738280/2?nc=1&autosave=form.info.autosave#ixzz3xQyJv3Xx

The Business of Salads

Salads get a whole different meaning when you're seriously going vegan. In my direct neighborhood, one of the best places for salad ingredients is the Pioneer supermarket at 1345 Castle Hill Avenue. This store carries good quality (in many cases organic) salad ingredients, typically, here is what I can find:

• Organic salad mixes from Earthbound Farm
• Organic salad mixes from Organic Girl
• Vidalia onions (Pioneer seems to be the only store in my area that has Vidalia onions all of the time)
• Organic carrots

I like using some red leaf or green leaf lettuce, and mix it with some of these salad mixes, sometimes arugula or baby spinach, or a spring mix.

Some peppers and tomatoes, and onions are basic, beyond that you can add olives, roasted peppers, artichoke hearts or whatever else tickles your fancy in that area. You can add broccoly cooked, or raw, cooked green beans, a handfull of cooked beans, mushrooms raw or cooked, etc. Good things to enrich it are chia seeds, wheat germ, sliced almonds, and many a time grated organic carrots are a great addition.

 

To make it creamy, you can make a dressing with silken tofu, here's a basic recipe from myrecipes.com:

Sesame Tofu Dressing

1 package (12 to 16 oz.) water-packed soft or aseptic-packed silken tofu

1 cup seasoned rice vinegar

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (including tops)

3 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons Asian (toasted) sesame oil

2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon hot chili flakes

In place of the low-sodium soy sauce, you can also use Bragg's Liquid Aminos. Optionally, depending on the salad mixes, you may add some mustard to this type of a dressing.  

Good salads become a way of life. Don't leave home without having eaten one. Light, refreshing, and with lots of energy.