Think all salads are healthy? Think again

Dieters beware! Not every salad you make is low-cal. The contents and dressing you choose could add up to 625 calories. Lucky for you, Ellie Krieger, a registered dietitian and author of “The Food You Crave,” wants to help you create a nutritious salad that is both fulfilling and diet-friendly. 

You think you are doing yourself a favor and being good by hitting the salad bar for lunch, but if you make the wrong choices you could be headed for a dietary disaster. A seemingly healthy salad can have as much fat and calories as a McDonald's quarter pounder with cheese — so much for good intentions! With a few simple swapouts, you can turn a "sabotage" salad into a truly healthy and satisfying "smart" salad with a fraction of the fat and calories.

Tips to keep in mind when making a salad:

• Fill your plate with colorful vegetables
  
  
• Watch the cheese. Skip it or keep it to 1-2 tablespoons
  
  
• Skip the salads with a lot of mayonnaise
  
  
• Watch the dressing. Just 2 tablespoons of full-fat creamy dressing is about 150 calories. Choose low-fat dressings or use a little oil and vinegar.
  
  
• Fat isn't bad. Some fats help to absorb the fat-soluble nutrients in vegetables. Add good fats like avocado, nuts or olive oil, but make sure they're small amounts.

Ellie's ‘smart’ salad

Lettuce: The darker the greens, the more nutritious. Dark greens are loaded with vitamins A, C, K and folate. Our "smart" salad has a mix of romaine and spinach.

Veggies: You need more than just tomatoes. Add colorful vegetables like carrots and peppers. When it comes to veggies, the more you have the better.

Cheese: Just 1/4 cup of Cheddar adds more than 100 calories. So skip the cheese if you can, or add a small amount of strong-flavored cheese like feta or Parmesan, which are naturally lower in fat and calories. When it comes to these cheeses and flavor, a little goes a long way.

Crunch: Skip the bacon bits and croutons. Get crunch and heartiness from healthy nuts and seeds — but keep portions to 2 tablespoons.

Protein: Heavy-mayonnaise salads like tuna, chicken and egg have about 150 calories in just half a cup. Instead, go for chopped grilled chicken, chopped egg or plain tuna. Replace coleslaw with some crunchy red cabbage.

Dressing: Like I said, just 2 tablespoons of creamy dressing can pack up to 150 calories. So go for a third the calories and choose a light dressing or a little oil and vinegar.

When all is said and done, the "smart" salad is a huge and hearty meal for a fraction of the fat and calories.

Final comparison:
Sabotage salad = 625 calories, 38g of fat
Smart salad = 385 calories, 19.5g of fat


The nutritional analysis for ‘sabotage’ and ‘smart’ salads:

Sabotage salad
Romaine lettuce:  2 cups = 15 calories
Tomato, medium, chopped: 1/2 cup = 10 calories
Croutons: 1/2 cup = 60 calories, 1 gram of total fat 
Bacon bits: 2 tablespoons = 60 calories, 3g of total fat
Cheddar cheese, shredded: 1/4 cup = 110 calories, 9g total fat
Chicken salad: 1/2 cup = 160 calories, 10g total fat
Coleslaw: 1/2 cup = 100 calories,  7g total fat
Russian dressing: 2 tablespoons = 110 calories, 8g total fat
Total = 625 calories,  38g total fat

Smart salad
Dark green mix of spinach and romaine: 2 cups = 20 calories
Tomato, medium, chopped: 1/2 cup = 10 calories
Carrots, shredded: 1/4 cup = 10 calories
Walnuts, chopped: 2 tablespoons = 100 calories, 10 g total fat
Multicolored sweet bell peppers, sliced: 1/2 cup = 15 calories
Feta cheese, crumbled: 2 tablespoons = 35 calories, 2g total fat
Grilled chicken, sliced: 3 ounces = 140 calories, 3g total fat
Lite Italian dressing: 2 tablespoons = 50 calories, 4.5g total fat
Total = 380 calories, 19.5g total fat

Some high-calorie numbers at the salad bar:

• Chinese noodles: 1/4 cup = 60 calories
• Shredded Cheddar: 1/4 cup = 113 calories
• Raisins: 1/4 cup = 108 calories
• Olives: 1/4 cup = 40 calories
• Avocado: 1/4 cup = 60 calories
• Tuna salad: 1/2 cup  = 191 calories
• Ranch dressing: 2 tablespoons = 146 calories
  

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