Green is in. Thinking green is sure to conjure up images of sustainability, spring time, and from a food perspective—leafy greens! We are always being told to eat our greens and here's why: Leafy greens provide fiber, magnesium, calcium, iron, folate, vitamin C, and plenty of B vitamins.

We have many delicious options in the family of leafy greens: lettuces, kale, Swiss chard, dandelion greens, beet greens, turnip greens, spinach, mustard greens, escarole and chicory... to name just a few.

Here are a couple of tips for cooking leafy greens:

• Cut greens into strips. This makes tougher greens such as kale and turnip greens more tender.
• Trim the stems. The stems on many leafy greens are tough and best discarded or better yet, start a vegetable stock.

Looking for some new ideas? See Nine uncommon leafy greens worth trying >>

Leafy greens are one part of the formula for choosing a diet rich in nutrients, calorie for calorie. Foods with a high ratio of nutrients to calories are called nutrient-dense—and are a crucial nutrition strategy for aging Americans.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) provides an online video called Choosing Nutrient Dense Foods that provides tips and insights into a healthful diet. See it on the NIH website. For more senior health videos, visit http://nihseniorhealth.gov/videolist.html.

Indeed, rising consumption of fresh produce for sound nutrition also heightens our awareness of food safety concerns. Just 10 foods were involved in 1500 foodborne illness outbreaks, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). Leafy greens were among them. Read the report about the 10 riskiest foods >>

According to the FDA, 82 foodborne illness outbreaks in a 12-year period traced back directly to fresh produce. Bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella are common culprits.

As a result, cut leafy greens have been added to the potentially hazardous food (PHF-TCS) list in the 2009 FDA Food Code, and the FDA has issued extensive guidance to all sectors of the farm-to-fork chain on how to ensure safety of leafy greens.

The July 2009 Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards of Leafy Greens offers this advice for food service:

• Wash raw leafy greens thoroughly under potable running water before cutting, combining with other ingredients, cooking, or serving.
• Don't use leafy greens with visible signs of decay or damage.
• Clean and sanitize all food-contact equipment and utensils that contact cut leafy greens.
• Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before cutting or handling leafy greens and rewash hands as necessary.
• Use a barrier such as gloves and/or an appropriate utensil changed with sufficient frequency to prevent cross-contamination to touch fresh-cut leafy greens.
• Store and display fresh-cut leafy greens under refrigeration throughout distribution to enhance the safety and quality of the product.

About pre-washed salad mix: The March 2010 issue of Consumer Reports raises caution in an article called Bagged Salad: How Clean? While foodborne pathogens were not found in the Consumer Reports tests, "Bacteria that are common indicators of poor sanitation and fecal contamination" did show up, according to the article.

One suggestion: Use bagged leafy greens as far in advance of the use-by date as possible. Editors also recommend re-washing greens even if they are labeled as "prewashed". See the article on the Consumer Reports website >>

Meet Chef John, and discover his acclaimed recipe for French Toast Sandwiches! John W. Biswanger, CEC, CFE has created a special breakfast recipe using Davidson's Safest Choice® Pasteurized Shells Eggs...and it's a hit.

Chef John, Director of Food and Nutrition Services at Lakeland Regional Medical Center, in Lakeland FL, shares his recipe with you!

Try Chef John's recipe and read more about his foodservice accomplishments >>

John Biswanger at Lakeland Hospital and foodservice directors around the country agree: Grab and Go items are HOT! An industry survey provided by Catalyst Healthcare confirmed that 52% of healthcare facilities sampled were developing new sandwich recipes.

The National Pasteurized Eggs 2010 White Paper: Trends & Revenue Opportunities in Acute Care Dining has this to say:

• Today, hospitals are tapping into the competitive advantage of breakfast,, leveraging the same appeal for revenue-generating areas, such as cafeterias, coffee shops, and catering.
• One hospital reported that for every room service breakfast served to patients, another five-plus breakfast burritos sold in its retail operation.
• According to the 2009 FoodService Director Portability Study, on-site operators who are serious about increasing revenues are also serious about grab'n'go.
• For healthcare retail operations, a least one dollar out of five comes from portable menu offerings.
• 61% of hospital operators are enjoying a strong profit margin in portable menu offerings, due in part, to labor savings.
• "Slider-style sandwiches are hot for all dayparts, including breakfast." (Food Management Menu TrendWatch)

Leverage the convenience and cost-savings of grab'n'go trends to boost your revenues! Register for free revenue-boosting tools and the White Paper at SafeEggs.com/revenue/.