salads...very irritating

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Oompa_Loompa
Oompa_Loompa Posts: 1,099 Member
in Food and Nutrition
It is VERY irritating that salads have so many freakin calories!? Like are you for real!? Im feeling like a salad today for lunch. Like a mexican style one. Go to Wendys website. Their santa fe style salad. Boom 740 calories. Um what? I don't know what to get for lunch today. Any suggestions anyone?
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Replies

  • DanL66712
    DanL66712 Posts: 135
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    Perhaps just a normal salad. I had a crab salad for lunch, just some crab, lettuce, sweetcorn, tomatoes and a little light mayo and it barely broke the 300 calories mark. Things like Wendys get loads of calories from a MASSIVE amount of dressing on the salad!
  • 00trayn
    00trayn Posts: 1,849 Member
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    Salads can be really deceiving. Throw on dressing and protein that's been fried or something and you easily get 700-1200 calories salads. Chain restaurants are notorious. I suggest looking through the nutrition info to see what else Wendy's has. I've heard the chili isn't bad on calories. If you want a salad, always get dressing on the side. Make sure the chicken or whatever is on it is grilled and not fried or breaded. And avoid croutons, they just add empty calories.
  • rskidmore
    rskidmore Posts: 212
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    The McDonalds salads are surprisingly low in calories. Go to their website and check it out. :)
  • veniceit
    veniceit Posts: 112 Member
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    I know what you mean it's so upsetting. You think your making a good healthy choice and then they nail you with the dressing. I think McDonald's has a few low cal dressings. Not sure about Wendy's. Don't get the Asian salad whatever you do!!!

    Rachelle
  • nisijam5
    nisijam5 Posts: 10,390 Member
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    Make your own...my mexican salad is lettuce, black bean salsa, few tortilla chips, avocado, chicken and 1 TBSP of Marie's Chipoltle salad dressing...it's huge and reasonable fat and calories...you can tailor it to meet your needs
  • Sandeee
    Sandeee Posts: 53 Member
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    Wendys side salads are very low calorie..get a couple with fat free dressing and you are good to go!
  • nikki91950
    nikki91950 Posts: 647
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    you can get salads anywhere, as long as you stick to the basics. as soon as you start to add anything other than lettuce, cheese, vegetables, and meat, you get into trouble. the less in the salad, the better off you'll be! ha! good luck :)
  • sallyLunn
    sallyLunn Posts: 381
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    You know what's good at Wendy's? Get a side salad and a cup of chili and pour the chile over the salad and don't mess with the dressing and ditch the croutons. It's very tasty.
  • SweetPandora
    SweetPandora Posts: 660 Member
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    Have you thought of making your own.

    I bring a salad everyday for lunch. Spinach, 1/2 avocado, cherry tomatoes and 2 oz of chicken. If I feel like dressing I make one using olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard powder and maple syrup.

    When you make it you are in control of what goes into your body and what stays in your pocketbook.

    Karen
  • hill242
    hill242 Posts: 412 Member
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    I prefer the apple pecan chicken salad at Wendy's. Just use one packet of the vinaigrette and it's like 540 cals. I'm sure if you asked them to drop the blue cheese you'd save more calories.
  • gambitsgurl
    gambitsgurl Posts: 632 Member
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    I've heard if you go to Wendy's get a baked potato (PLAIN) and pour the chili on it. :D

    The problem with salads at fast food and chain restaurants are the "add ons". Dressing, croutons, "crisps", fried chickens, a ton of cheese.
  • elmct57
    elmct57 Posts: 594 Member
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    My shock was the Souper Salads bar--everything sits in salt water to keep in crisp...:grumble:
  • disnyfan
    disnyfan Posts: 39 Member
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    Chick-fil-A Southwest Salad with FF Berry Bals dressing. YUM and less than 300 calories!
  • SP0472
    SP0472 Posts: 193 Member
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    The McDonalds salads are surprisingly low in calories. Go to their website and check it out. :)

    I had the Southwest Chicken salad from McDs and it was pretty low in cals - I didnt add the dressing - the chicken had enough glaze on it to act as a light dressing.
  • TXBlockhead
    TXBlockhead Posts: 169 Member
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    My fave fast food salad is the McDonald's Grilled Chicken Ceasar Salad w/Newman's Own Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette. It's only 260 calories and that's w the dressing and there's even cheese on the salad.
  • Nikkibella
    Nikkibella Posts: 2
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    I make my own salad using 3 cups baby spinach, 4 ounces of chicken chopped up, cucumber and tomato. I use 2 tablespoons of Ken's Steakhouse Balsamic Vinaigrette (yes I measure and weigh all my food). I pair the salad with a sweet potato and my entire lunch is 209 calories.
  • Valqis
    Valqis Posts: 1,016 Member
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    Chick-fil-A Southwest Salad with FF Berry Bals dressing. YUM and less than 300 calories!
    I was just about to suggest Chick-Fil-A. Almost every one of their salads (EXCEPT THE CHICKEN SALAD SALAD) is under 300 calories, and you can get a ff honey mustard too.
  • mlh612
    mlh612 Posts: 311 Member
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    I like Salsarita's taco salad - without shell.. There website has the nutritional value and you can "build" your own taco salad to calculate your calories....

    Also like Chick-fil-A Chargrilled and Fruit Salad with the Reduce Fat Berry Balsamic (but don't use all the dressing)...
  • tam8374
    tam8374 Posts: 270 Member
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    I always get the wendy's taco or southwestern salad.. Not sure the exact name. But you get chili to put on it, so I get protein and low fat dressing all at once from the chili. Just a thought.
  • jillybeanruns
    jillybeanruns Posts: 1,420 Member
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    Take 5-10 minutes at night before you go to bed and pack your lunch. I pack way more food than I need so I don't eat the junk people bring to work. This way I control what I eat and stay on track.

    On the rare occasion I do eat out, I go to Panera because you can build your own salad and get the nutritional information on their website. Sodium is higher than I'd like, but I'm not one to forgo the cheese :)

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