Salads: not always the best option!

Okay this might seem obvious to anyone who's been at this a while, but for those who are new this might surprise you

When eating out, salads are NOT always the best option, especially the ones loaded with cheese and creamy dressings.

Example:
mcdonalds ceasar salad with crispy chicken (350 cal) + renee's light ceaser dressing (130cal ) + croutons (60cal )= 540...
mcdonalds bigmac= 540 calories!

Of course the grilled chicken would be less (subtract 160 calories) but still that was using the "light" option for dressing and only 1 pack! I've seen people get 2 or 3 packs of the "regular" (260 each pack x 3= 780 calories... just the dressing!) Point: be careful about salads and creamy dressings! :P

note: I am NOT attacking Mcdonads, many restaurants have high calories for their ceasar salads, just using mcd's as an example for information purposes

Replies

aelunyu

Dressing is mostly oil, which are fats. Fats have the highest caloric weight of all macronutrients. So dousing your salad in a packette of dressing (which I assume yields 3-5 tablespoons of mostly oil) is like cooking your chicken breast in a stick of butter, and then not draining it.

Food for thought, indeed!

mwilcox1

When I make salad at home I try to do a tiny bit of oil, lots of vinegar, and lots of herbs/spices in the mix. I think that helps cut back on some of the bad stuff?

But I couldn't agree more. Whenever I eat out and get salad it always ends up with TONS of blue cheese on top and candied walnuts etc.

lalaland82

I did a cpl of weeks ago decide to go with a dressing from a restaurant, I'd already been a pain in the bum asking for things taken out, spending forever choosing etc etc so felt bad then saying oh and on top of everything else can you put dressing in a side bowl so I can taste it first lol , I was shocked when I logged it at home to learn the salad I thought was so great was 760 calories, WTF. I could have had dessert for that lol

I'm not gonna worry about being picky in the future lol

ScouseNerd

True - especially at fast food places! But if I'm going out for dinner to a proper restaurant, I'll almost always get salad because it's the lowest calorie thing on the menu besides water and Coke Zero. If I'm ever going to a chain restaurant I check the nutritional info if they have it on the website. Usually, a salad. It's sad I hate vinaigrettes, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. and other things that are in the *actual* healthy salads.

Erikalynne18

Oh yes they can definitely surprise you!

I love ceasar salads but I've been trying to stick to garden lately cause I know those tend to be healthy/lower calorie options, but again dressing can be sneaky! :P

On the plus side: by ordering garden salads as a side I've discovered some places have AWESOME garden salads!!

Some places lack unfortunately but when other people at the table eating onion rings are eyeing MY side, you know it's tasty! :P

raisingemilyjune

caesar is one of the worst salads for calorie density. it's like the big mac of salads, basically. honestly, if you're smart about what you put in your salad and what you put on it then salads can be super low calorie and filling.

i like craisins in my salads, but man do they pack a punch calorie wise haha.

Joehenny

Dressing is mostly oil, which are fats. Fats have the highest caloric weight of all macronutrients. So dousing your salad in a packette of dressing (which I assume yields 3-5 tablespoons of mostly oil) is like cooking your chicken breast in a stick of butter, and then not draining it.

Food for thought, indeed!

Exactly

MissSaturday

yea I don't use dressing cream for salad just same salt and 1 spoon olive oil so total cal is not more than 120 cal. But for those that eat so much dressing cream or salad with cheese or ham, i advice directly a plate of pasta with tomato sause or grilled meat, chicken, turkey .. as well as mayonaise.. it is not worth eating it. .

cupcakes_and_cardio

Dressing can "kill" a salad, too much of it and you may as well grab that Big Mac! It's too bad because not a lot of people realize this...

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

Chain or not, entree salads tend to be the worst choice on the menu.

The best thing to go with on any menu for calorie and nutrition:

Sirloin steak and veggies, no butter. Garden side salad, no cheese or croutons, with the fat free dressing option on the side.

Sometimes the fish and chicken dishes are good options if the restaurant offers a grilled version with no sauce on it. But most restaurants put so much butter on the fish that it packs a huge calorie punch.

likeabanner

Here's a tip. I take salad dressings, usually the lite options... and I water them down into another bottle. I LOVE Ken's lite caesar dressing, but it's still high in calories. So I dilute it 50/50 with water into a separate bottle and it's actually a better taste to me.

It's not too heavy and it gives me that taste that I like!

I also buy organic salad dressings. They tend to have 20-40 calories per 2 Tbsp than the other dressings which are 90+ per 2 Tbsp.

I also like to put almonds and cranberries in my salads instead of croutons. It gives me that crisp without loading the bread carbs. Dried soybeans work too!

And to get back to the Mickey D's... I usually get it with no croutons and the caesar dressing. The salad mix with a grilled chicken filet and the shredded parm is 190 calories. Add a single packet of the caesar dressing and it's 380 calories. It's also pretty filling for me so it gives me a quick lunch or a late night dinner that isn't too horrible if I'm in a rush.

cruzcrzyMarie

SO TRUE and a GOOD reminder to all especially those new to weight loss.

DorisInTheDena

Check out this link.

http://my.menshealth.com/exclusive-content/20-salads-worse-whopper

Logical_Zebra

I travel for my job a lot. I used to eat a Chili's a lot, because I liked the "Quesadilla Explosion" salad and figured it was healthy.

It's got over 1,000 calories...

LaurenAOK

It's true, a lot of the "big" salads at restaurants can often have over 1000 calories - as much as any of the regular main entrees!

I find that salads are easier to customize to make them more healthy, though. Most of the calories come from things like crispy chicken, croutons, dressing, etc. The salad I normally get from Zaxbys comes with fried onions and those alone add 160 calories! You can easily make a salad a healthy option by choosing grilled chicken, no croutons/fried toppings, and only using half the dressing they give you. That's what I do and I find the salads taste just as good!

LaurenAOK

I travel for my job a lot. I used to eat a Chili's a lot, because I liked the "Quesadilla Explosion" salad and figured it was healthy.

It's got over 1,000 calories...

One of my all-time favorite salads. I was also so upset when I first found out how many calories it had.

JustJennie1

That's why I get my dressing on the side and dip my fork.

stonel94

That's why get just veggie salads (hold the candied nuts and canned fruits and dried fruits and extra cheese) and if you like some cheese get it on the side and get the dressing on the side and opt for a non-cream based dressing (even if a salad is supposed to come with a certain dressing you can ask for a different kind, or if it just says like "ceasar" you can ask if it's cream based or not)
that way you have mostly veggies, get a grilled protein on top, and just add a little dressing and/or cheese

Erikalynne18

Dressing can "kill" a salad, too much of it and you may as well grab that Big Mac! It's too bad because not a lot of people realize this...

Agreed! That was why I posted this topic

BeachIron

Salads are fine if there's a steak sitting on top.

Velum_cado

Here's a tip. I take salad dressings, usually the lite options... and I water them down into another bottle. I LOVE Ken's lite caesar dressing, but it's still high in calories. So I dilute it 50/50 with water into a separate bottle and it's actually a better taste to me. It's not too heavy and it gives me that taste that I like!

That's a great idea! I like to "water" mayo down with lemon juice. The tangier flavor is really nice as well as cutting some calories.

Bearbrat

I have made this mistake, I ended up eating over half or more of my calories to one salad because I didn't pay attention to the salad dressing, What beachiron said........I would've left the dressing and went for one with steak

Bearbrat

Salads are fine if there's a steak sitting on top.

This

Ely82010

Check out this link.

http://my.menshealth.com/exclusive-content/20-salads-worse-whopper

I don't like Cesar salad, so I am good there. For the regular side or dinner salads, I ask the waitress to skip the croutons and cheese and to bring me a light raspberry vinaigrette dressing on the side. It is a way to control the calories and it works for me.

HypersonicFitNess

The rule of thumb with salads:

Keep it simple and from the earth (veggies; nuts; seeds)
If you are going to put animal protein on it: do not go with FRIED anything, grilled is a better option and low fat cheese (measure the cheese and go light)
Dressing: vinaigrette is the best way to go; creamy will just get you into trouble (and WHY would you or others put 3 pkgs of dressing on your salad? are you having a salad or a bowl of dressing? - 2 TBSP is more than enough - I actually opt for 1 TBSP; I don't like an over dressed salad, but that's me).

EDIT: fruit is a good option too but I don't care for this one; I like it on the side

Erikalynne18

Great suggestions!

I especially like this one:

Here's a tip. I take salad dressings, usually the lite options... and I water them down into another bottle. I LOVE Ken's lite caesar dressing, but it's still high in calories. So I dilute it 50/50 with water into a separate bottle and it's actually a better taste to me. It's not too heavy and it gives me that taste that I like!

Reminds me of when I water down juice (especially those "from concentrate" ones).

Another thing I've done is skip the dressing all together and slice up some extra tomatoes

I find the only reason I have dressing some days is so it's not so "dry" so the extra tomatoes solve that problem!

siqiniq

I often have salads as a meal, then I don't feel guilty about the meat and cheese in them. I also order my dressing on the side, and then dip my fork into the dressing before picking up a bite of the salad so I get a tiny taste of dressing with every bite. when making mayo based dressings at home, I use half mayo and half yogurt or quark cheese. I've found that a tablespoon of each along with whatever I'm using for flavouring is enough.

Railr0aderTony

Pittsburgh Steak Salad- Thats right, it has french fries on top. with lots of crumbled Blue Cheese and dressing. I do not want to contemplate the calorie count but I used to eat this and think it was Healthy because its a salad right? LMAO

Athena53

That's why I get my dressing on the side and dip my fork.

That works for me, too. I find I'm enjoying salads with a lot less dressing now. Most of the time I can find a salad without all the extra cheese and other calorie-laden elements. It's easy for me to pick out the croutons and not eat them; not worth the calories to me.

candacefausset

I make a lot of my own dressings at home so if I know I am going to be out for the day I can put a jar of dressing in a insulated lunch pack with an ice pack. Otherwise, if it is spur of the moment I either work out a lot to work the extra calories off or skip the dressing. Lemon or lime juice can be a good substitute as well for salad dressing. Plenty flavorful without tons of calories.