Why Salads are not as Healthy as we Thought
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Salads are only as healthy as you make them.0
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PeachyPlum wrote: »Someone posted they use salsa on any salad,because they like it better than salad dressings. I prefer rice vinegar,lots of seasoning,small amout of oil .Heavy on the veggies & it's good to go.
Yep. Alternate, low cal dressings include:
Balsamic Vinegar
Rice Vinegar
Red Wine Vinegar
Squeeze of fresh Lime, Lemon, or Grapefruit
Honestly, I find that about 1/4 cup of certain veggies (like thawed frozen corn) is sweet enough to replace my need for dressing.
Yeah, I like to add lactofermented veggies or banana peppers to my salads, their tartness is enough to serve as dressing sometimes!
I eat banana peppers with a fork. Straight out of the jar. Why didn't I think of this!?
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PeachyPlum wrote: »I never would have expected Buffalo Chicken Salad to be light on calories. And I think the words 'Quesadilla Explosion' are also fair warning that big calories lie ahead. I hope no one out there ever confused those menu items with actual salads!
Does anybody remember the Bud Light Real Men of Genius ads?
"Here's to you, Mr. Giant Taco Salad Inventor Man!"
youtube.com/watch?v=FWMBAmo_1cQ
YES! Those were hilarious!0 -
Edit: Woops, double post.
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PeachyPlum wrote: »Someone posted they use salsa on any salad,because they like it better than salad dressings. I prefer rice vinegar,lots of seasoning,small amout of oil .Heavy on the veggies & it's good to go.
Yep. Alternate, low cal dressings include:
Balsamic Vinegar
Rice Vinegar
Red Wine Vinegar
Squeeze of fresh Lime, Lemon, or Grapefruit
Honestly, I find that about 1/4 cup of certain veggies (like thawed frozen corn) is sweet enough to replace my need for dressing.
Yeah, I like to add lactofermented veggies or banana peppers to my salads, their tartness is enough to serve as dressing sometimes!
I will put in my usual plug for pepperoncinis, which are a delicious addition to almost any salad, and similarly preclude any need for dressing if you bite into them and let them spill all over the veggies. I also might put cottage cheese on the side and eat it with the veggies if I want a dressing-less salad. These are things that might be better for meals alone, though.
In addition to the buffalo salad mentioned above, another salad I like to buy from time to time is the Pret a Manger chicken and avocado salad (440 calories -- can't be too low cal with avocado and walnuts) and the falafel mezze salad from the same place (320 cal). Neither of these needs dressing, which is good because I always forget to leave balsamic vinegar at work and don't like any of Pret's current dressing options.
I love vinegars so much that I usually like making and using dressings when I eat salad at home.
This thread is almost enough to make me want a salad for dinner, but can't overcome the fact that it's going to be in the 20s tomorrow, ugh! Will make something hot instead.0 -
Iron_Feline wrote: »kristen6350 wrote: »See, my Greek salads come out to 160 calories. I add Romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, feta, grilled chicken and use a 45 calorie Red Wine Vinaigrette (use 2TBSP, weighed out). I just don't use HUGE amounts of each. Enough to fill me up. I think you are doing it wrong, bro! LOL It's all about appropriate serving sizes.
That must be all leaves with the saddest portion of chicken and feta ever.
My thought, too. Is the chicken and feta just waved over the salad or something?
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It's common sense. Read a few diet books and you will get a knowledge of what foods are, and what is good or bad. Doesn't matter which book, all the info is the same.... just different packages. If that's too much info... follow the KISS method: lean meats and veggies only.0
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I don't mind a lot of my calories going for the protein (amount depends on how many calories I have available) an ounce of feta cheese (100 or less calories), but for greek salads I do like it mostly red wine vinegar for dressing, so I can cut dressing calories pretty easy by making it with very little or no oil. That easily saves 100 or more calories depending on how soggy someone likes the salad.
Having chopped kalamata olives makes a little seem like more since you can sprinkle them all over. I've never had bacon on it but I don't like bacon much anyway.
The veggies don't add many calories....lettuce, thinly sliced onion, maybe some bell peppers and only tomato if I can get good one.
Now I really want a Greek salad.
Eta : I do miss croutons. Those are calorie bombs and if I have them, I want lots of them.0 -
snickerscharlie wrote: »Iron_Feline wrote: »kristen6350 wrote: »See, my Greek salads come out to 160 calories. I add Romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, feta, grilled chicken and use a 45 calorie Red Wine Vinaigrette (use 2TBSP, weighed out). I just don't use HUGE amounts of each. Enough to fill me up. I think you are doing it wrong, bro! LOL It's all about appropriate serving sizes.
That must be all leaves with the saddest portion of chicken and feta ever.
My thought, too. Is the chicken and feta just waved over the salad or something?
Chicken and feta blessing. It's like holy salad.
Or possibly, it's chicken zest and feta zest?0 -
Salad is a great way to fill up on veggies. It only becomes "bad" when you add too much toppings like bacon and cheese. You can still have your salad as a treat or scale it back to give you less calories.0
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I
salads. Mine have different kinds of greens, vegetables and fruits, and yes, there's even some cheese in there. Maybe some chicken, different nuts and seeds, legumes, sometimes not... I make my own fresh dressings. Tons of vitamins, healthy fats and other nutrients. Salads can be delicious and VERY healthy. Keep it within your calories and it won't be a problem.
I have no idea what goes into a restaurant salad, or those bottled dressings off the shelf, since I don't eat that kind of thing. But even those should be OK if you watch your portions. Anything can make you fat if you overeat it...
ETA: 800 calories for a dinner salad loaded with greens and chicken and lots of other good stuff sounds totally legit to me, especially on exercise days. You know, you don't have to give that up if you love it. If it's too much, just get a half portion or split it yourself and save it for later.0 -
kristen6350 wrote: »See, my Greek salads come out to 160 calories. I add Romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, feta, grilled chicken and use a 45 calorie Red Wine Vinaigrette (use 2TBSP, weighed out). I just don't use HUGE amounts of each. Enough to fill me up. I think you are doing it wrong, bro! LOL It's all about appropriate serving sizes.
I'm trying to work this out. How much feta and chicken do you put in this?
I worked it out, to the best of my ability. With the small amount of information given, this is the best possible answer I could come up with:
3 cups of Romaine (15 calories)
1.7 ounces of Cherubs Nature Sweet Tomatoes (17 calories)
1 ounce of Tyson Grilled and Ready Chicken Breast Strips (33 calories)
1 ounce Fat Free Feta (35 calories)
2 table spoons of Red Wine Vinaigrette (45 calories)
1 ounce Cucumber (4 calories)
1 ounce Red Onion (11 calories)
It doesn't sound that impossible, because I usually use 1.4 ounces of chicken breast (mentioned above) in my salads, and just a table spoon or two of cheese. To each their own, I guess.0 -
williams969 wrote: »I probably have salads as a meals 6x per week. They range from 150 calories to 400. They're delicious, filling, and nutritionally dense. If your idea of a salad requires that it be 800 calories, then I think there's a problem with your perception; not with salads...
What's wrong with someone who would like an 800 calorie salad? My calorie needs are 2250/day. 800 calories sounds pretty darn appropriate in such a circumstance. It's not my perception that's a problem at all.
I think there's no problem if you WANT an 800 calorie salad, the perception problem comes if someone is loading a salad with cheese, bacon, croutons, and dressing and then claiming "Whalp, salads are too caloric for me!" or, as the subject line claims "not as healthy as we thought."
The real problem lies in the weird assumption that some people make that cheese, oil, nuts, and bacon magically lose their calories when placed on the same plate as lettuce.
Which is not to say that salads need to be sad little deprivation bowls, either. If a salad is your whole meal, why not load it up? I will admit to ordering and enjoying that Quesadilla Explosion salad at Chilis. It's honestly so huge and filling that I can't finish it. I'll manage maybe 3/4 of one at lunch and then I'm full for the rest of the day. Calories even out and it's still easy to maintain a deficit, plus I get lots of protein, fiber, and some fats in the bargain. Fail to see how that's "unhealthy." (I just checked the nutrition info...that salad has a whopping 56 grams of protein! pretty darn good!)0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »PeachyPlum wrote: »Someone posted they use salsa on any salad,because they like it better than salad dressings. I prefer rice vinegar,lots of seasoning,small amout of oil .Heavy on the veggies & it's good to go.
Yep. Alternate, low cal dressings include:
Balsamic Vinegar
Rice Vinegar
Red Wine Vinegar
Squeeze of fresh Lime, Lemon, or Grapefruit
Honestly, I find that about 1/4 cup of certain veggies (like thawed frozen corn) is sweet enough to replace my need for dressing.
Yeah, I like to add lactofermented veggies or banana peppers to my salads, their tartness is enough to serve as dressing sometimes!
I will put in my usual plug for pepperoncinis, which are a delicious addition to almost any salad, and similarly preclude any need for dressing if you bite into them and let them spill all over the veggies. I also might put cottage cheese on the side and eat it with the veggies if I want a dressing-less salad. These are things that might be better for meals alone, though.
In addition to the buffalo salad mentioned above, another salad I like to buy from time to time is the Pret a Manger chicken and avocado salad (440 calories -- can't be too low cal with avocado and walnuts) and the falafel mezze salad from the same place (320 cal). Neither of these needs dressing, which is good because I always forget to leave balsamic vinegar at work and don't like any of Pret's current dressing options.
I love vinegars so much that I usually like making and using dressings when I eat salad at home.
This thread is almost enough to make me want a salad for dinner, but can't overcome the fact that it's going to be in the 20s tomorrow, ugh! Will make something hot instead.
I love balsamic vinegar so much, and I'd often just use that as a dressing. I'm pretty lazy, so I'd usually do a salad for breakfast or dinner (and sometimes both) every day. I found out the hard way that too much vinegar will actually kill the cells in your mouth and cause the lining of your mouth to slough off and die. Freaky, but no actual harm. I now mix vinegar with mustard and some olive oil for dressing and have had no further issues with my mouth dying... :laugh:0 -
It all depends on what you add to it. I live a very low carb, high fat lifestyle where my salads contain romaine lettuce, spinach, bacon bits from two strips and a drizzle of ranch dressing. Sometimes I will add maybe a quarter of hardboiled egg to the mix.
- One lettuce leaf is 5kcal, 0.34g protein, 0.08g fat, and 0.32g net carbohydrates. I will use two leaves chopped up, so multiply those numbers by two.
- One cup of spinach is 7kcal, 0.12g fat, 0.86g protein, and 0.39g net carbohydrates. I will have about half a cup of spinach, so divide this in half.
- One slice of bacon is 117kcal, 3.53g protein, 11.11g fat, 0.36g net carbohydrates. I will have two slices, so multiply this by two.
- One tablespoon of ranch is 63kcal, 0.20g protein, 6.68g fat, 0.68g net carbohydrates. This is pretty much how much I have with my salads.
So, the total for my salad would be:
310.5kcal
8.03g protein
29.04g fat
1.9g net carbohydrates
A very tasty salad accompanied by a bottled water. Nothing outrageous there. See, you need to be mindful of what you are putting on your salads. Everything in moderation.
Source:0 - One lettuce leaf is 5kcal, 0.34g protein, 0.08g fat, and 0.32g net carbohydrates. I will use two leaves chopped up, so multiply those numbers by two.
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MFP is definitely an eye opener0
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It's common sense. Read a few diet books and you will get a knowledge of what foods are, and what is good or bad. Doesn't matter which book, all the info is the same.... just different packages. If that's too much info... follow the KISS method: lean meats and veggies only.
High calories does not make something "bad"--really understanding what foods are and having such a simplistic approach as "bad" and "good" are not consistent with each other, IMO. (There's a whole thread on this topic, however.) You can see this with all the people saying that 800 calorie dinners are consistent with their goals.0 -
snickerscharlie wrote: »Iron_Feline wrote: »kristen6350 wrote: »See, my Greek salads come out to 160 calories. I add Romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, feta, grilled chicken and use a 45 calorie Red Wine Vinaigrette (use 2TBSP, weighed out). I just don't use HUGE amounts of each. Enough to fill me up. I think you are doing it wrong, bro! LOL It's all about appropriate serving sizes.
That must be all leaves with the saddest portion of chicken and feta ever.
My thought, too. Is the chicken and feta just waved over the salad or something?
Maybe it's a special Lenten Greek salad. The chicken and feta (and oil) are missing.
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