It’s the time of year. You’ve gained a few pounds over the holidays and now the resolution is to take them off, and more. If you plan to cut the calories by eating salad, you might want to rethink that plan just a little. Salads are often the answer to everything from waistlines to health. But are those big bowls of rabbit food really calorie-free answers to a ravenous appetite and a sure-fire way to beat the odds on cancer and heart disease?

Yes and no. Crispy greens are one of life’s little fat-free pleasures. However, many fatty concoctions are guzzled under the guise of “salad fixings.” The fact that salad dressing is the number one source of fat in women’s diets attests to the confusion over what is really a healthful salad and what is a fat-laden disaster. Here are a few survival skills for surviving the salad bar mine field that can help you cut the fat, sodium and sugar, yet keep the taste, nutrition and pleasure of the meal.

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Q: I know I’m supposed to eat 5 fruits and vegetables every day, but I hate vegetables. Can I just eat fruits instead?
– Elaine in San Diego

A: Eating lots of fruit is better than not eating fruits AND vegetables, and it will compensate to some extent for the lack of broccoli and spinach, but fruits are not identical to vegetables. Both fruits and vegetables contain vitamins C and beta carotene, but some antioxidant phytochemicals are found only in vegetables. For example, the cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and cauliflower contain sulforaphane that boosts the production of anti-cancer enzymes. Rather than eliminate vegetables, add vegetables into favorite foods such as adding green peas to soup or layer spinach into lasagna. Drink your vegetables by snacking on tomato juice or V8. Experiment with different ways to eat vegetables, such as eating carrots raw, grating them into salads or tacos, or steaming them with a little ginger and honey. -Elizabeth Somer

Q: Is it worth the cost to buy a juicer?
– Leslie from Eugene

A: Yes, if this will ensure you consume the 8 to 10 fruits and vegetables you need every day. No, if you already eat lots of produce or won’t use it regularly. Juice is another way to get your fruits and vegetables, not any better way. In fact, juice is not quite as good as just eating those carrots or that apple, since juice is low in fiber compared to the original thing. Ignore claims that juice contains essential enzymes or somehow captures compounds not found in eating produce in other ways. There’s no proof of that. Fresh juice is just one more way to get those nutrient-packed plants, as is salads, steaming or baking or grilling fresh or frozen produce, and just picking them right off the bush, tree, or plant. -Elizabeth Somer

Q: Is fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables best?
– Shannon in Cadott, Wisconsin

A: The best vegetable is the one you are most likely to eat. If you love canned and hate fresh green beans, then eat the canned. In terms of nutrients, the most nutrient-packed are very, very fresh produce. However, if the produce has been sitting on a supermarket shelf for several days and/or it sits in your refrigerator for a week, then you are better off with frozen, plain vegetables, which have been processed within hours of picking. Canned is alright, as long as you use the juice, since some nutrients leach out of the vegetable into the canning fluid during processing. When cooking fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables, use a minimum of water, cook only until crisp, and use immediately (leftover vegetables have lost nutrients in the second heating). -Elizabeth Somer

Q: Is the wax on fruits and vegetables really harmful?
– Patrick in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

A: It’s not the wax, but what is trapped in the wax that you want to avoid. Waxes are used to seal in moisture and keep produce fresh. Even organic produce uses waxes, such as beeswax and carnauba wax. There is no evidence that these waxes pose any health problems. However, the waxes used on conventional produce can seal in pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides used during the growing of this produce. They also are sometimes mixed with fungicides to maintain quality during storage. Washing apples or peeling other produce, such as eggplant, that has been treated with wax significantly reduces harmful residues. There is no need to buy expense produce soaps. You can remove waxes and pesticides with diluted Ivory soap or any liquid dish soap and a sturdy vegetable brush. Be sure to rinse well. Peeling produce, such as apples, and removing the outer leaves from vegetables like lettuce also are ways to reduce pesticide exposure. Organic produce typically has lower levels of wax and pesticides than conventional produce, if you can afford the extra cost. Keep in mind, the health benefits of fruits and vegetables far out-weigh any possible health risk, so don’t avoid the produce department for fear of pesticides or a little wax. – Elizabeth Somer

Q: Is celery a negative-calorie food?
– Sandra in Iowa City

A: Even when munching on 10 stalks of celery, which has the maximum chew per calorie, you’ll burn a measly 0.115 calories of the 60 calories provided. The idea that a food can burn more calories than it supplies is the most preposterous myth of all. – Elizabeth Somer

Q: I’ve heard that raw spinach has an enzyme in it that cannot be broken down by the body and can be a problem if you eat too much of this vegetable. Is this true?
– John from The Netherlands

A: No. There is no indestructible enzyme in spinach, or any edible leafy vegetable for that matter. In contrast, spinach is an excellent source of the B vitamin folic acid, which lowers risk for birth defects, cancer, and heart disease. It also is a great source of iron, calcium, and other trace minerals. Most adults eat far too few dark green leafy vegetables and would benefit by doubling or even tripling their current intake of these nutritious foods. -Elizabeth Somer