Today's salsa has morphed from the familiar tomato-based sauce used in Mexican foods to fresh combinations of a variety of fruit and vegetables that incorporate flavors from numerous cuisines.

Different salsa combinations not only add taste to chicken, fish, or grilled vegetables; but also bump up the nutritional value of your meals.

According to the USDA, incorporating more fruit and vegetables into our daily food choices helps decrease risk of stroke, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, low bone density, kidney stones, and some types of cancer. Salsa adds flavor without a lot of unnecessary calories, and can be part of a lower-calorie eating plan.

Try these different salsa flavor combinations, and don't be afraid to experiment by substituting other fresh fruit or vegetables. With the wealth of locally available produce, adding a colorful and vibrant salsa to your meals is fun, simple and delicious.

Tomato salsa: Combine chopped tomatoes, onions, green or yellow peppers, cilantro and lime juice. Add red pepper flakes for more of a kick.

Peach salsa: Combine chopped, fresh peaches with lime juice and minced garlic.

Black bean salsa: Combine canned, drained and rinsed black beans with chopped tomato and onion, cilantro, jalapeño, and apple cider vinegar.

Corn/Avocado salsa: Use leftover corn on the cob to make this fresh summertime salsa: combine cooked corn kernels with chopped avocado and tomato; add cilantro or parsley and lime juice.

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Watermelon salsa: Combine diced, seedless watermelon (use both red and yellow varieties for a colorful salsa) with diced onion and celery. Stir in lime juice and cilantro. Add chopped hot peppers for extra zing if desired.

Lynn Grieger, RD, CDE, cPT is a health, food and fitness coach in Manchester and online at www.LynnGrieger.com. She enjoys using fresh produce from the farmer's market to create salsa.