Salad: Eat With Caution!

-by Mindy Irish

Have you heard this before?  "I don't know why I can't lose weight.  I eat healthy.....I eat salads."

Warning: Eat "salads" with caution!  Not all salads are created equal, and of course they're not all beneficial for you!  You might actually be shocked at the calorie and fat content some of them hold!

 

Our nation has, in my opinion, abused the word "salad" and been able to put anything and everything on a bed of lettuce and convince the general public that because of the greens below, it's a good choice!  It pains me to see people who set out with good intentions to munch away, for example, on a taco salad with fried meat, loads of cheese and creamy dressing all in a fried shell bowl.  It's a salad....it's healthy, right? 

I found this great article from Men's Health Magazine entitled
"5 Restaurant Salads That Are Worse Than A Whopper." 

Some Highlights:
  Applebees Oriental Chicken Salad: 1300 calories
equal to a McD's quarter pounder, fries, and a coke


Quiznos Chicken Caesar Flatbread Salad: 960 calories
equal to three White Castle Sliders and three chicken rings


TGI Fridays Santa Fe Chopped Salad: 1800 Calories
equal to a BK double whopper, fries, and a chocolate shake


Read the full article here!

It was a salad bar visit I made recently that encouraged this post.  I found a pile of fresh iceberg lettuce....I would have preferred darker greens, but those were already covered in dressing.  There were several fresh choices such as tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, and carrots!


That's where the healthy options ended!  Enter in potato salad, cheeses, pudding, fruit salad in a creamy base, dressings, processed beets, pickles, and banana peppers and the healthy alternative to the adjoining pizza buffet just took a wrong turn.  Just because you're eating off a "salad bar" does NOT necessarily make it a good choice for losing weight and lowering body fat!  If it's fresh, go for it.  If it's been processed, mixed, or enhanced, caution and think twice, if eating clean and healthy is your goal!

In any food situation your good intentions can be spoiled with premade salads or the fixings at the salad bar.  Don't be fooled by the "salad" craze.  I encourage you to stop, think, and analyze what you're really eating....no matter what greens lie beneath!