How to keep salad healthy

How to ruin a healthy salad

Salad is healthy plate yet delicious when it provides you with fresh greens, fruits and vegetables and you may top it with nuts. You may eat it as starter before your main meal or you may have it as main meal when consumed with protein sources like chicken or tuna.

But salad can be bad for your health when you add salad dressing that are high in calories and fat.

Using only iceberg or lettuce:

Iceberg lettuce has only water and few nutritional value when little of vitamins, minerals and no much fiber. And since it is watery vegetables it attracts high fat salad dressing make it not healthy.

Instead of lettuce you may use darker greens, such as spinach, leaf lettuce, arugula, dandelion greens, kale,watercress, and basil leaves. These greens tend to be richer in folate, vitamin A, minerals, and phytochemicals.

Using lots of croutons

They don’t provide much nutritional value instead they add a lot of calories. One 1/2 cup serving of croutons has about 100 calories.

If you like crunchy toppings you may add a tablespoon or two of chopped walnuts or flax seeds when they are packed with omega-3 fatty acids that are good for your heart and nervous system, plus they've got fiber, which your body needs for a healthy digestive system.

Adding too much cheese

Cheese is an excellent source of calcium and protein, so it certainly can be included in healthy salad, but it's also loaded with sodium, saturated fat, and calories.

If you are cheese lover you can add but watch portion size like a serving of cheese is about one and one-half ounces—or about the size of a pair of dice. Go with a dry cheese like Parmesan or add some reduced-fat cheese. Try alternative vegetarian cheese substitutes made from rice or soy can add cheesy goodness without the extra calories.

Choosing fried meat or taco shells

Adding healthy protein makes salad a well-balanced meal but adding deep-fried chicken strips or chunks of processed lunch meats will turn your healthy salad into a health disaster.

Considering taco salad; it is made with seasoned ground meat and globs of sour cream in a deep-fried taco shell could have well over 1,000 calories.

Keep your salad lean and mean by adding cooked chicken or turkey breast, a couple of grilled shrimp or a sprinkling of legumes.

Drenching your salad with toppings:

Salads are usually topped with dressing that are high in fat and calories; for example a single serving of salad dressing is only two tablespoons and has anywhere from 100 to 200 calories.

You can squeeze lemon juice on salad or try balsamic vinegar without the oil. When you order a salad at a restaurant, ask for the dressing to be served on the side. So you can save a lot of calories by this small step.

Sources:

https://www.verywellfit.com/how-to-ruin-a-healthy-salad-2507683?utm_campaign=livinghealthy&utm_medium=email&utm_source=cn_nl&utm_content=15763301&utm_term=list_gl_ot_vft-default

https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/copycat-olive-garden-salad