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Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Dress down that salad
What do you do to 'lighten up?'
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Good for you! You’re going to order a salad.
Whether you’re trying to cut calories to lose weight or add a few more nutrient-rich veggies to your diet, you are headed in the right direction.
But, when dining out, watch out for salads that are the healthy menu version of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Make sure that vegetables get the top billing and aren’t pushed to a secondary role, with heavyweights such as cheese, egg, meat, fried croutons and salad dressing grabbing all the attention. (How did those crunchy Chinese noodles become part of the salad world anyway?)
Here are some vital statistics on salad staples to help you choose among toppings that restaurants are offering. Eat freely from this garden: lettuce, spinach, arugula, endive, watercress, cucumber, green peppers, broccoli, celery, sprouts, cabbage and radishes. They rack up only 25 calories a cup. Vegetables such as artichokes, tomatoes, beets, carrots and onions are perfectly acceptable additions at 50 calories a cup.
Cut back on dressing to keep your salad healthy. Mayonnaise-based dressings, such as ranch and Thousand Island, ladle on 80 to 100 calories a tablespoon. And most restaurants freely toss a single serving of salad with twice the recommended serving of dressing.
How much chopped onion do you need anyway? Consider the simple garden salad. It’s better if it’s more complex. More veggie variety in the bowl ups your consumption of a greater variety of vitamins and other plant nutrients.
The trouble starts when salad recipes are dolled up with ingredients not found when you look up the word “produce.” For instance, each ounce of crumbled blue cheese, shredded cheddar or bacon bits adds at least 100 calories. Having said that, it’s OK to enjoy a Cobb salad or chef’s salad. Just make sure these entree salads aren’t overloaded with meat, egg and cheese. Think of these toppings as accessories. No one looks good in an outfit overwhelmed with too many baubles, bangles and beads. And, sure, avocados, olives and nuts contain good-for-you mono-unsaturated fats, but if cutting calories is your goal, use them only as delicious accessories, too.
LIGHTEN UP Here’s how to keep your salad light:
• Ask for it to be topped or tossed with minimal dressing.
• Ask for dressing on the side and dilute it with lemon juice or vinegar.
• Dip your fork into the dressing and then pierce bites of salad.
• Read the nutrition facts on fast-food dressing packets; try to use only 2 tablespoons.
• If an entree salad is large, split it with a friend or have the server put half in a carryout container before bringing it to the table.
