If you are eating salad every day for lunch and dinner in hopes of shedding pounds, you may not be eating as healthy as you think. Salads can have upwards of 1,000 calories and more than 65g of fat. That is more calories and fat than a fast food burger and fries. Not all salads are created equal and it’s important to realize what makes or breaks the nutritional value.
Here are 3 tips to keeping your salad healthy, according to Weightloss Franchise Headquarters in Tampa, Florida.
- The type and quality of the lettuce. Although lettuce is primarily water, it does contain some nutrients. For the most nutritious lettuce, stick with dark green leafy varieties and Romaine.
- Additions to the salad such as cheese, meat, fish, vegetables or fruit. The additional items in a salad can be the difference between nutritious and not so healthy. A healthy salad can include vegetables such as mushrooms, peppers, cucumbers, broccoli, and cauliflower; fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, mandarin-oranges slices, pineapple, and kiwi; no-salt almonds, pine nuts, and walnuts for omega-3 benefits; and low-fat protein sources such as chicken, fish, egg whites, and lean cuts of meat. The nutritional value of many salads is ruined by piling on high-fat cheese and red meat. Another common culprit for packing on the calories and carbs are crutons. If you like a little crunch in your salad, try the Weightloss Zippers. An entire package of Zippers is only 100 calories and offers a low-carb alternative.
- Healthy Salad Dressing. The variety and quantity of the dressing. The single, biggest factor to a healthy salad is the dressing. The majority of people are using too much of the wrong types of dressings. For instance, a 2 Tbsp serving of a typical chunky blue cheese dressing contains 150 calories and 15g fat. Even light vinaigrette varieties can be misleading and often times have a significant amount of added sugar. Weightloss offers its own brand of salad dressings. For the 2 Tbsp serving size, its dressings have 15 to 25 calories and each contains 0g fat and 0g sugar. The three several varieties.
Source: mediweightloss.com
