Common Salad Bar Blunders That May Have You Eating More Calories Than You Realize
Most people that are on a diet automatically think of salads as being the best meal choice in order to lose weight. While salads can be a great way to get a filling meal with minimal calories, common mistakes at the salad bar could be adding up to more calories than you wanted. When making a salad at a grocery store salad bar, or ordering one at a restaurant, try to avoid some of this typical, high calorie offenders.
Salad dressing - A good rule of thumb when choosing a salad dressing is to stay away from anything that is especially creamy. Ranch and Caesar dressings can sometimes pack on more calories to your salad than you should eat in an entire meal. Instead, opt for choices like oil and vinegar or lemon juice.
Protein - Many salad bars offer protein choices to accompany your salad. This can range from eggs and avocado to turkey breast. However, if you are trying to lose weight stick to lean proteins like grilled chicken or salmon and stay away from fried foods like chicken tenders.
Cheese - Everyone loves cheese. Many people pile it onto a perfectly healthy salad. While the dainty, shredded cheese many not look so bad, it can add a lot of unnecessary calories to your salad. Keep in mind that cheese does not usually play a big role in the taste of a salad, so omit it and see if you can even tell.
Toppings - Watch the toppings that you pile onto your salad. If you like the crunch, swap croutons for nuts, and if you crave something creamy, trade mayo based chicken salad for Greek yogurt based. Also, avoid sugary dried fruits and instead, increase raw fruits and vegetables for fewer calories and powerful antioxidants.
