Calculating calories / carbs from SALAD

lauramazzie

hi everyone.. I have a question I hope you can help me.
I love salad and get a salad from the grocery store salad bar at least 3-4 times a week. I need help calculating the carb count / calorie count and entering it into myfitnesspal foods. Anyone have any suggestions? I really appreciate it!

psuLemon

Break down the pieces of the salad by the individual component. And since its pre-made, you could always ask for an ingredients list. And if you really want to get a little crazy, you can get a salad.. break it down by the pieces and weigh each food type (lettuces, tomatoes, carrots, etc...)

jgnatca

Since vegetables are generally lower calorie (it takes a lot to rack up), I pick a generic leafy salad entry for a leafy salad, and crudites for heavier entries like broccoli and carrots. I'm assuming you get the weight when you buy.

This won't work if you are loading up with higher calorie toppings like dried fruit, feta cheese, olives, dressing, and nuts. Those need to be entered separately.

jgnatca

Another option is to make a recipe of your favourite combination, entering each topping separately. Can you weigh each entry in the store as you go? You can do this once and then log the same recipe salad every time.

DaddieCat

psulemon wrote: »

Break down the pieces of the salad by the individual component. And since its pre-made, you could always ask for an ingredients list. And if you really want to get a little crazy, you can get a salad.. break it down by the pieces and weigh each food type (lettuces, tomatoes, carrots, etc...)

This... this is pretty much the only way to do it with any accuracy.

lauramazzie

thanks everyone! I guess I was looking for an easier way

SamandaIndia

Look out for dressings. They can pack a huge calorie load

Kalikel

Take a guess on how much of ingredient you put on and log that. It's the best you can do.

I seriously miss having a fresh salad bar at the grocery store. The grocery stores where I live are stuck in 1985. While I loved the 80s, grocery stores in most places have come a long way since then...but not ours. I suggested it once, to the store manager (he's my neighbor) and he was like, "Actual salad bar? Like in a restaurant?!"

Count your blessings!

ModernRock

There's a scale right next to the bar I bet. Weigh contaner, reweigh after each ingredient, write each weight down and what was added. Later on, subtract the differences. Buy your own bottle of dressing.