Restarant Salads & high calories!!!

MJesuele126
MJesuele126 Posts: 55 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Restaurant Salads are so high in calories!! Why? Its just lettuce and grilled chicken, is it the Salad Dressing its self?? Sometimes I wonder if Im better off just getting a meal if it’s the same amount of calories? Any suggestions?
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Replies

  • ninakir88
    ninakir88 Posts: 292 Member
    A lot of it is the salad dressing, unless you get a friend chicken salad.

    Order your dressing on the side and just dip your salad in it.. saves you a lot of calories.
  • reneeeeeh
    reneeeeeh Posts: 54
    Shocking isnt it.. I always ask for the dressing on the side. Thats where all the calories are hidden. Balsamic vinegar is great for a low cal option!
  • MaybeAMonkey
    MaybeAMonkey Posts: 247
    A lot of salad dressings are loaded with calories. Also, if the salad you're ordering has cheese that will up the calories too. If you want to know where the culprit is in terms of jacking up the calorie count look up the calories of each separate ingredient. Can you skip the restaurant meal and prep your meal at home or is this for a meal out with friends/family? Some restaurant offer low-calorie menu options, there might be something tasty and filling that you would enjoy.
  • tberend
    tberend Posts: 91 Member
    I think it is the salad dressing, cheese, avocados, boiled eggs, and croutons that add calories to a salad. A tsp of oil is 100 calories. That dressing can really increase the calories in a hurry!
  • mtaylor33557
    mtaylor33557 Posts: 542 Member
    I know some salads like the California chicken Salad at O'Charleys has (yummy) high calorie stuff on it like candied pecans, dried cranberries, blue cheese, mandarine oranges, and then a ton of chicken, plus the dressing.. and it all starts to add up.

    A lot of times, you are better off ordering a grilled lean protien and a side of veggies.
  • MikeInAZ
    MikeInAZ Posts: 483 Member
    Tell them to leave off cheese and anything fried and put the dressing on the side. Dip your fork into the dressing then eat the lettuce. You will use about a teaspoon of dressing vs 1/4 cup they put on it.

    Usually the chicken is grilled with a lot of oil so that adds a lot of calories. Just 1 tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil is about 125 calories.
  • TaraFTMVA
    TaraFTMVA Posts: 309 Member
    I agree completely.....I work at IHOP and I have to take my salad to the bare bones to even have it at 400 cals (with crispy chicken for a treat) its 75 less with grilled chicken. But anyways. I take out the cheese,bacon bits, I dont get the egg and just have the lettuce and the chicken. Really its the meat and dressing. I dont always eat dressing but when I do I try and go low cal or I will eat my ranch if I have the space for it. The way I look at it is if I am eating a salad it has more nutrients for the same cals as pancakes, so I would rather have the salad. It really just depends. I do eat pancakes and what not as well, but I make sure it fits into my day in every department, perhaps do some research before heading to a restaurant and see what low cal options they have and compare to the salads, even though I work at IHOP I am constantly checking the nutrition facts on the food bc I dont want to sabotage myself =)
  • jdruiz89
    jdruiz89 Posts: 42 Member
    This depends really on the salad you are getting. Some stuff is grilled, some baked, some is breaded. Adding any form of breading will increase calories exponentially. Salad dressings will definitely increase calories even more. Unless you are using some form of healthy fruits and what not. But if these salads are huge they are going to have a high calorie amount. But this is a healthier style of calorie. Just try to stay with grilled. Little or no dressing. And instead of dressing maybe use hot sauce? However, be weary of hot sauce and stuff due to sodium content.

    You can never go wrong with salads but it is all the extra stuff in the salads that make them bad.
  • ShaSimone
    ShaSimone Posts: 270 Member
    If it is really grilled and not fried ( how is it prepared?) with oils or butter

    Creamy salad dressing is a definite high calorie addition, and cheese.

    Most restaurant plates are more than an individual needs in a portion size. Share if you can or just modify an entree/side salad.
  • MJesuele126
    MJesuele126 Posts: 55 Member
    Thanks, I really try to avoid restaurants as much as I can but sometimes it is nice to go out.. I’ll definitely order the dressing on the side when I go. Thankyou! =)
  • ggcat
    ggcat Posts: 313 Member
    The dressing and cheese! I check nutritional info at restaurants before I order. Sometimes I can do it before we get there, otherwise I check while reading the menu. I also only eat out once a month :)
  • JuneyJo
    JuneyJo Posts: 182 Member
    Depends on what's in it. I've been bitten on the butt by this too. Dressing is a big one, but there might also be bacon, egg, cheese, beans, corn, berries, etc. SO many things can creep into that salad, making it less healthy than it seems. Not to mention that restaurant salads, like their other meals, are at least twice the size of a "normal" portion.
  • ancientwitness
    ancientwitness Posts: 1
    Ask for the toppings on the side, and add only what you need for it to taste good. I'm usually amazed by what I DIDN'T need in order to enjoy it, and by the amount of calories I've NOT eaten as a result.
  • lukeout007
    lukeout007 Posts: 1,237 Member
    Restaurant Salads are so high in calories!! Why? Its just lettuce and grilled chicken, is it the Salad Dressing its self?? Sometimes I wonder if Im better off just getting a meal if it’s the same amount of calories? Any suggestions?

    Considering most salad dressing is made of oil/cream/etc....yeah...it's the dressing.

    Also grilled chicken does have calories...I mean depending on how much chicken is on the salad it could probably account for 100-150 cals.

    And you probably are better off getting a meal if its the same...lettuce is not going to fill you up...and if it does you won't stay full for long.
  • jjnt007
    jjnt007 Posts: 302 Member
    I ordered a Garden Patch salad from Cotton Patch and it is salad and grilled chicken. The calories are 542 but the sodium is 2118. I asked the same question, why is the sodium so high?
  • NaurielR
    NaurielR Posts: 426 Member
    A tsp of oil is 100 calories.

    You're probably thinking of a tablespoon, which has 120 calories. A teaspoon only has 40 calories. I'm sorry for picking at minutia and I hope it doesn't make me sound rude. That wasn't my intention. I just wanted to clear things up :)
  • Mistyblu08
    Mistyblu08 Posts: 580 Member
    alot of places add croutons, fried onions, japanese noodles etc ....its those fried items that add up fast....plus sometimes i wonder if they dont give you more than the 3 oz worth of meat too....I always try to remember to ask for the dressing on the side too and just dip my fork in dressing lightly before I grab lettuce.. you use less and you still get the flavor....
  • socalsweetheart87
    socalsweetheart87 Posts: 38 Member
    I agree completely.....I work at IHOP and I have to take my salad to the bare bones to even have it at 400 cals (with crispy chicken for a treat) its 75 less with grilled chicken. But anyways. I take out the cheese,bacon bits, I dont get the egg and just have the lettuce and the chicken. Really its the meat and dressing. I dont always eat dressing but when I do I try and go low cal or I will eat my ranch if I have the space for it. The way I look at it is if I am eating a salad it has more nutrients for the same cals as pancakes, so I would rather have the salad. It really just depends. I do eat pancakes and what not as well, but I make sure it fits into my day in every department, perhaps do some research before heading to a restaurant and see what low cal options they have and compare to the salads, even though I work at IHOP I am constantly checking the nutrition facts on the food bc I dont want to sabotage myself =)


    i read this and i thought 'huh... really? there the same calories... I'm having me some pancakes" .... definitely why I'm here...
  • sweetchildomine
    sweetchildomine Posts: 872 Member
    Yesterday I went to Panera Bread and got a cobb salad. I saw the calorie content and it was 570. That's kinda high but I had enough calories left in my day so I went ahead and got it. When I went to log it I saw that the total fat was 40 GRAMS!!!!!!!!!! FORTY!!!! Did they pour chicken grease over it?!?!?!
  • Kenzietea2
    Kenzietea2 Posts: 1,132 Member
    Ask for dressing on the side and no croutons.

    Or, go out sparingly and order whatever you want when you do go out. It is way more enjoyable that way :)
  • xarge
    xarge Posts: 484 Member
    I usually don't use any dressing while I make my salads except for a little olive oil and lemon so any salad I order outside is a dressing soup compared to that.
  • gogospice
    gogospice Posts: 185 Member
    I work my butt off at the gym the day I go out. This leaves me with more options than if I did just my normal workout.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    It's the dressing! I'd rather order grilled chicken with a baked potato (some restaurants will serve cottage cheese on the side for the potato is you ask) as my entree and get get a small side salad with vinegar and oil on the side:drinker:
  • Gilleran918
    Gilleran918 Posts: 14
    My husband and i eat at red robin alot, well its seems thier salads are the highest, just thier salad mix (nothing in it) according to thier food nutrition it has 8 carbs alone
  • irishcanadianwoman
    irishcanadianwoman Posts: 147
    Check the web sites for nutrition info before you go out to eat. Sometimes what we think are the 'healthy, low calorie' options aren't!!! So, be prepared.

    If you do have dressing, have it on the side - then dip your fork into the dressing first and then pick up the veggies with your "dressed" fork. That way you get the dressing taste without too many calories.
  • fmbomzo
    fmbomzo Posts: 382 Member
    If there's meat, ask that it be lightly prepared (no butter, mininal or no seasoning and not fried). Ask for the dressing on the side and watch the sodium in the dressing along with calories. Some of the low-cal options have high amts of sugar and sodium. I try to find a balance. I go for a moderate cal dressing with decent sodium over a low-cal with high sodium any day. I also dip each leaf in the dressing vs. pouring it on.
  • Dauntlessness
    Dauntlessness Posts: 1,489 Member
    I like to stop off at KFC sometimes and get 2 chicken strips-you might have to buy them in 3s. Anyhow, I then go home and make my own salad. I bet it would work for office lunches too.

    Spinach-14 cals
    KFC strips(2) 260
    Marie's yogurt ranch dressing 2tbsp-70

    344 cals for a yummy filling lunch :)

    Sometimes I add cucumbers and stuff but it doesn't add many cals though..haha
  • ktrn0312
    ktrn0312 Posts: 722 Member
    Bump
  • fmbomzo
    fmbomzo Posts: 382 Member
    Lect, that sounds delicious.

    I sometimes buy a rotisserie chicken and shred the breast meat and add that to raw spinach with Ken's Light Options Honey Dijon Dressing. It's 70 cals for 2 TBSP of that dressing. The chicken is the source of most of the calories.

    As for the OP, it is sometimes (or often) better to get a lean protein with steamed veggies instead. I get salmon with veggies at Longhorn and Outback when I'm trying to keep the calories low.
  • MJesuele126
    MJesuele126 Posts: 55 Member
    I work my butt off at the gym the day I go out. This leaves me with more options than if I did just my normal workout.

    haha thats what I try to do too!!! lol

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