I was eating a salad and someone told me it was pointless

FitGamerSmoak
FitGamerSmoak Posts: 224 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Okay now I don't necessarily believe this. My salad had chicken , peppers, organic spring mix with spinach and a little bit of romaine, tomatoes and onions. Oil and vinegar for a dressing. Someone said they were told at the gym by a trainer that eating a salad is pointless because we don't get any nutritional value from it.

I know it's healthy, I know it's beneficial, but does anyone know or have proof of this. Articles? I told them i would get back to them because I don't believe this at all.
«1

Replies

  • DizzyMissIzzy
    DizzyMissIzzy Posts: 168 Member
    No nutritional value? What? Haha, protein, vitamins, a little fat sounds pretty nutritional to me.
  • knittnponder
    knittnponder Posts: 1,953 Member
    You could look up the nutritional profile on any of those things and see that the trainer is full of it. Plus, eating the vegetables with oil assures you that you're able to get all the fat soluble vitamins in the vegetables as well. I think it was a very healthy choice.
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
    Plug the individual components into your food diary. Look at the protein, fats, and carbs you're getting with that salad. Check out the breakdown of the other nutrients using the full report. Print it out. Smack that person in the face with your salad's nutrition report for that person is dumb and deserves to be smacked.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Pointless for bro-gainzzz. But it provides lots of fiber, carbs, and vitamins, and minerals.

    Sorry. No articles. Print off the nutrition profile, including the vitamins, of the lowly carrot. See if that gets through.
  • FitGamerSmoak
    FitGamerSmoak Posts: 224 Member
    tincanonastring wrote: »
    Print it out. Smack that person in the face with your salad's nutrition report for that person is dumb and deserves to be smacked.

    Funniest this I have seen so far. You know what I didn't even think of doing that. I didn't think I was doing wrong, I've been eating salads for a while (trying to get back into it) and I'm like I feel soo much he better. Granted the trainer was at planet fitness. I don't necessarily think they are bad but I would love to see their nutrition credentials
  • SuggaD
    SuggaD Posts: 1,369 Member
    Definitely has plenty of nutritional value. Just not very filling for many people.
  • abadvat
    abadvat Posts: 1,241 Member
    Contextual i guess. It is true that the nutritional value could be rather low but then again, depends on what are your goals.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    craziedani wrote: »
    Okay now I don't necessarily believe this. My salad had chicken , peppers, organic spring mix with spinach and a little bit of romaine, tomatoes and onions. Oil and vinegar for a dressing. Someone said they were told at the gym by a trainer that eating a salad is pointless because we don't get any nutritional value from it.

    I know it's healthy, I know it's beneficial, but does anyone know or have proof of this. Articles? I told them i would get back to them because I don't believe this at all.

    Leafy greens are mostly water so the nutritional value is lower than many other things, although the darker the greens, the more nutrients. The additional things you put on your salad like the chicken, peppers, tomatoes, onions, sprouts, etc. have the greater nutritional punch. Salads are not pointless. They fill you up, satisfy the urge to chew, taste yummy, can be very transportable, etc. I have one every night before my actual dinner. I don't expect to get much from the greens but they are necessary as carriers for the rest of the stuff.
  • FitGamerSmoak
    FitGamerSmoak Posts: 224 Member
    They fill me up for sure. I get tired of eating and it keeps hunger at bay for a *kitten* ton less calories than what I could eat.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    "Thank you for your advice. I'll be sure to give it the consideration it deserves."
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    some salads are nutritionally empty but not all. yours does not sound like it
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    Maybe it was more of an existential commentary on the meaning of life.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    craziedani wrote: »
    They fill me up for sure. I get tired of eating and it keeps hunger at bay for a *kitten* ton less calories than what I could eat.

    Yup. Sometimes you have to go for the bulk and salads are a great way to get lots of food for minimal calories.
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
    earlnabby wrote: »
    craziedani wrote: »
    They fill me up for sure. I get tired of eating and it keeps hunger at bay for a *kitten* ton less calories than what I could eat.

    Yup. Sometimes you have to go for the bulk and salads are a great way to get lots of food for minimal calories.

    +1000

    I eat a daily lunch salad which includes 100g of romaine, 50g of spinach, and 100g of celery. I get some nutrients from the greens, I guess, but I mostly eat that much for the volume. It fills me up for the entire day.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    lithezebra wrote: »
    Maybe it was more of an existential commentary on the meaning of life.

    Lol
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    craziedani wrote: »
    Okay now I don't necessarily believe this. My salad had chicken , peppers, organic spring mix with spinach and a little bit of romaine, tomatoes and onions. Oil and vinegar for a dressing. Someone said they were told at the gym by a trainer that eating a salad is pointless because we don't get any nutritional value from it.

    I know it's healthy, I know it's beneficial, but does anyone know or have proof of this. Articles? I told them i would get back to them because I don't believe this at all.

    Obviously the ingredients in your salad provide nutrition. You can look up each ingredient and list everything and show that very easily. Some salads will provide more of some nutrients than others.
    Not all salads have the same ingredients so saying all salad is low nutrition is dumb. Probably shouldn't take nutrition advice from gym trainers. If you want nutrition advice see a trained dietician.
    It is not pointless to eat salad if you like it and it fits your goals.
    Salad ideas if you want to mix things up a bit:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10270725/things-to-go-in-salads#latest
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    Moral of the story: Stop listening to trainers at the gym (or "sports nutritionists" or whatever fancy-schmancy term they like to call themselves) for nutritional advice.
  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,338 Member
    Don't believe everything everyone says to you, and remember, not everyone is rooting for you...use your own head! I would pump in the ingredients in MFP, then go look...or there is a site called Cronometer, it will tell you right down to every micronutrient what you consumed from that salad, and I promise you, it was ALL highly beneficial to you (cept maybe the dressing, but that's negligible) Again, use your own brain, and filter thru any advice given to you (even mine!) xo
  • MelissaPhippsFeagins
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
    juggernaut1974 wrote: »
    Moral of the story: Stop listening to trainers at the gym (or "sports nutritionists" or whatever fancy-schmancy term they like to call themselves) for nutritional advice.

    The sports nutritionist I listen to used to work with the Atlanta Falcons. She knows her sports nutrition, but she also has a masters degree in nutrition and human physiology.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I guess it depends on context...I have seen many a salad that would be pretty pointless...like a pile of ice berg lettuce and not much else...in that context, you're not going to get a whole lot of actual nutrition. A proper salad consisting of dark greens and lot of other veggies and some protein and healthy fat has quite a bit of nutrition.

    I guess you would also have to consider individual goals...if one were trying to put on muscle mass, salads probably aren't the best go to option considering the number of calories you have to eat to put on mass.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    edited December 2015
    MelissaPhippsFeagins wrote: »
    juggernaut1974 wrote: »
    Moral of the story: Stop listening to trainers at the gym (or "sports nutritionists" or whatever fancy-schmancy term they like to call themselves) for nutritional advice.

    The sports nutritionist I listen to used to work with the Atlanta Falcons. She knows her sports nutrition, but she also has a masters degree in nutrition and human physiology.

    Well she'd be the exception. Is she registered (RD)?

    Juggernaut is referring to the majority of people these days claiming to be "sports nutritionists". That's great you found a good one but many get suckered in by people who took a 3-6 week course, got certified, and spout off every myth they read on the internet they think sells.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    MelissaPhippsFeagins wrote: »
    juggernaut1974 wrote: »
    Moral of the story: Stop listening to trainers at the gym (or "sports nutritionists" or whatever fancy-schmancy term they like to call themselves) for nutritional advice.

    The sports nutritionist I listen to used to work with the Atlanta Falcons. She knows her sports nutrition, but she also has a masters degree in nutrition and human physiology.

    Then I'm sure you'd agree that your friend is the exception that proves the general rule.
  • DeeDiddyGee
    DeeDiddyGee Posts: 601 Member
    tincanonastring wrote: »
    Plug the individual components into your food diary. Look at the protein, fats, and carbs you're getting with that salad. Check out the breakdown of the other nutrients using the full report. Print it out. Smack that person in the face with your salad's nutrition report for that person is dumb and deserves to be smacked.


    ^^^ Agree! That trainer needs a course in basic nutrition.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I had a science teacher in jr high who insisted that what most called a salad was nutritionally void, as it would be iceberg lettuce with some dressing. That's not the kind of salad I eat, but perhaps your trainer has a similar odd understanding of what a salad is.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    I eat romaine with spring mix all the time just for the vitamins.

    I have no idea where that trainer got their information from.
  • kwtilbury
    kwtilbury Posts: 1,234 Member
    Items such as lettuce and tomato don't add much from a macronutrient standpoint, but they provide micronutrients. You've also got protein and healthy fats in there.
  • Raynne413
    Raynne413 Posts: 1,527 Member
    I think there was a miscommunication. The theory is that you need a salad dressing with fat to help you absorb the nutrients in the veggies and greens, so maybe he was talking about using a fat free salad dressing?
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,741 Member
    A "salad" could be a countless number of things, basically any combination of lettuce, vegetables, protein, dressing and whatever else you toss together in a bowl. There are also pasta salads and fruit salads. The person that said that to you should have asked the trainer to clarify exactly what type of salad they were referring to instead of just parroting bad advice. Way too much information missing here...
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Raynne413 wrote: »
    I think there was a miscommunication. The theory is that you need a salad dressing with fat to help you absorb the nutrients in the veggies and greens, so maybe he was talking about using a fat free salad dressing?

    I had no idea, but surely if there's fat in your salad, even if it's not in the dressing, it would be fine?

    About the 'iceberg lettuce is void of nutrients' myth though, I found a good article about it
    http://www.raw-food-health.net/Iceberg-Lettuce-Nutrition.html
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    It could be a game of telephone with a statement that started as true.
    First, lettuce tends to be vegetable low in nutrients on a per gram basis. If the original statement was something like that, it is true. Of course, a salad usually has a lot more than pure, raw lettuce.
    Second, a lot of people assume that since lettuce is low in calories per gram of food, a salad is always a healthy, low calorie option, but in fact, once you start covering it in salad dressing or adding other foods, it becomes less and less a low calorie option. That statement is also true.

Categories