Salads yes or no!

ysoto2014

Kinda like coffee I feel like people say salads are great and some people say no. My favorite salad is the chicken Caesar but apparently it's horrible to eat due to the dressing. So is there a salad that is a better option? Not a picky eater I usually do a sandwich for lunch but am trying to cut the bread out.

tcunbeliever

I love salads, just about any kind of salad...caesar, greek, bleu cheese, kale, asian...it's all delicious...

sparklyglitterbomb

Salads can be awesome, but you have to be aware of what is in them. Dressing can be a killer to the calorie count. You can use lighter dressings or things like rice wine vinegar, or lime juice, or salsa instead. Caesar dressing is a killer calorie wise... that being said, find out the nutritional info on your favorite and use (a lot) less. If you either have it on the side and dip your fork in in before each bite, that will give you a good amount of flavor without as much.. or toss it really well.

For sandwiches, I use the sandwich thins (100 calories) most days to save on calories when I am wanting to "spend" those calories on something else.

cmriverside

Nothing wrong with a chicken caesar every once in while. The dressings that come in a jar are sketchy with all the vegetable oils they use, but if you can make your own dressing (using olive oil) or find a restaurant that makes it at the table then you're golden. I mean, all jarred dressings are subject to my suspicion anyway. At restaurants I ask for dressing on the side.

I still use the bottled dressings every now and then, I use Girards light Caesar dressing, it's 80 calories per 2TBSP. Not bad...except the vegetable oils. I figure once or twice a month will kill me slower. Mostly I make my own dressings at home.

The other thing is I don't open up my food choices to conversations about good/bad with anyone. No one can agree on that stuff.

folgers86

I personally don't eat them much because the dressings about kill my nutrient goals. And plain salad just isn't very delicious IMHO. However, vinaigrettes are usually what you look for as a dressing (watch out for sugar bombs like a strawberry vinaigrette), balsamic vinegar if you can do that, and make sure there's protein involved.

Meganlynn79

Get dressing (like those creamy kind on the side) and only use as little as you can. That is really where all the calories are. I don't like creamy dressings myself so this is less of a problem for me. I LOOOOVE the Ken's Light Italian, personally.

savithny

If you don't eat any fat with your salad, many of the vitamins will do you no good. Fat-soluable vitamins (eg A, E) need to be eaten with at least *some* fat in order for your body to benefit. Go for reduced-fat dressings if you want them to spread out easier for a lower calorie count, but don't waste time on fat-free dressings.

Sabine_Stroehm

Salads are great. Dressings aren't "horrible", but can be high in calories.

I tend to get caesar salad + protein (salmon, sardines, herring, chicken, beef, tofu etc.), no croutons, dressing on the side. Love salads.

Skyblueyellow

I love salad and will gladly eat it with no dressing or just red wine vinegar. I actually like the way each ingredient tastes naturally! I especially love Greek salads with just some red wine vinegar. Sometimes I'll toss in a little olive oil if I need extra calories.

Queenmunchy

Cobb salad is my favorite! I just make sure to plan my day around it.

Alassonde

I love salads!! I prefer Italian dressing which isn't as high calorie as a lot of them. I also use it very sparingly, I don't like to use too much.

akmomof7

Oh yeah, love a big salad! My favorite is a big pile of romaine with carrots, tomato, peppers, red onion, and cucumbers topped with a big scoop of tuna salad, no dressing other than the mayo in the tuna.

When I do a salad that needs dressing I often put the dressing in a container on the side and just dip my fork into it before each bite. Plenty of flavor. (And I usually dip my tomatoes and carrots in for a little extra dressing! Lol)

TeaBea

ysoto2014 wrote: »

Kinda like coffee I feel like people say salads are great and some people say no. My favorite salad is the chicken Caesar but apparently it's horrible to eat due to the dressing. So is there a salad that is a better option? Not a picky eater I usually do a sandwich for lunch but am trying to cut the bread out.

Any salad can be light........... and any salad can be horrible. It's what you make it. I have a co-worker that absolutely drowns her salad in dressing. It's all about portion control.

I LOVE chicken Caesar. I use light dressing (Ken's).....and then I measure everything out, from the dressing, to the cheese, and the grilled chicken.

Find a dressing that you can enjoy in a small(ish) quantity. Fat-free dressings have a weird aftertaste (to me) and well, dietary fat isn't something to shun (any more).

Why are you cutting out bread? Elimination diets don't work for me. So I cut back on bread instead. All things in moderation for me.

jemhh

I love salads. A bunch of produce in a pile with some meat. Avocado and/or dressing on top. Delicious.

stephaniej2888

I get a chef salad every once in a while, but I'm not a huge fan of salad unless it has a lot of goodies in it (meat, eggs, etc.). Also, I always use to full fat (full flavor) dressings and ranch Is my favorite. I typically get the dressing on the side and dip my fork in it, then stab some salad and take a bite! Lots of yummy ranch flavor without making my salad swim in it lol
My problem with salads is no matter how much of it I eat I am ALWAYS hungry an hour or so later...which is why I don't get them often lol

Lounmoun

I eat salads sometimes. I usually use a vinaigrette dressing.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10270725/things-to-go-in-salads/p1
No food is horrible if you like it and it fits your goals.

cwolfman13

ysoto2014 wrote: »

Kinda like coffee I feel like people say salads are great and some people say no. My favorite salad is the chicken Caesar but apparently it's horrible to eat due to the dressing. So is there a salad that is a better option? Not a picky eater I usually do a sandwich for lunch but am trying to cut the bread out.

You can't blame the salad for the dressing...use less dressing...use lower calorie dressing, etc. Veggies are good for you...in that regard, salads are good...dumping an *kitten* ton of dressing, not so much.

kthompson601

I like salads, but I can get burnt out on them. For a long time I had them usually for lunch, and finally I got to a point where I thought, "I cannot eat these anymore." Now I might have two or three a week, with bell peppers, dark greens, carrots, and onions, dressed with a tablespoon of olive oil.

Ready2Rock206

You can find someone to tell you anything you eat/drink is horrible for you. Time to learn how to do your own evaluation. Log it. Does it fit your calories, does it fit your other goals, do you like it? If not then start adjusting. Instead of ditching the entire salad if you're concerned about the dressing use a different one, or use less, or make your own and control the ingredients.

And people who have a problem with coffee are just a-holes. You don't need that negativity in your life.

Ayebee299

I like kale salads for lunch because I can dress them the night before and they still taste good at lunch the next day. This week I made 2 different dressings so I don't get bored, one is a garlicky vinaigrette and the other is chipotle tahini. I also chopped up a bunch of different toppings so I don't get bored. I had to transition away from creamy dressings like ceasar because they add so many calories. Making my own dressings has definitely helped this, I've yet to find a healthy bottle dressing I actually like.

ysoto2014

I LOVE chicken Caesar. I use light dressing (Ken's).....and then I measure everything out, from the dressing, to the cheese, and the grilled chicken.


Why are you cutting out bread? Elimination diets don't work for me. So I cut back on bread instead. All things in moderation for me.[/quote]



So a few people mentioned the Kens dressing so I will look that up and try it. I have stalled at my weight loss so a few people have mentioned cutting out bread. I don't over eat or do sweets so I am only addicted to seeing progress. It already takes time so when I don't see the scale go down I immediately panic!