May 15, 2008 by Spin Diva
Undress your salad!
Are your salads making you fat? It is not entirely impossible to believe. Just when you think you have this healthy eating thing down to a science you realize that after eating like a rabbit, you are still craving “energy” in the mid-afternoon hours and your weight hasn’t really changed much since you last checked. What gives?
One must overcome the idea that salads have to be dressed in order for them to be delicious. You must first begin by undressing your salad and giving it more nutritional value with foods that are packed with energy and flavor. You can start by purging all those creamy dressings that are taking up space in your fridge, that’s your culprit right there. Sorry mega companies who sell the creamy fatty dressings, I can’t support you on this one. It is nearly impossible to eat only the recommended serving of two tablespoons, once you start to drizzle it on, who knows how much dressing you’re really eating. I challenge you to measure next time you try to “drizzle” two tablespoons of creamy fatty dressing onto your salad.
Anyway, let’s first figure out how we dress our salads for success:
Typical salad ingredients–as much as you want: Lettuce, Tomatoes, Carrots, Cucumber, Celery, and maybe even some Mushrooms, yum, delicious.
Toppings: ¼ cup Shredded cheddar cheese, *6 Croutons
Dressing: 2 tablespoons of creamy ranch
*based on only one brand, still, who uses only six, who counts only six croutons?
Nutritional Value of this salad: Almost 300 calories and over 27 grams of fat, the only protein (16g) comes from the cheese. No way? Yes way. I did the math. Obviously there are many nutrients in this meal that are really good for you but wouldn’t you rather put those extra calories and extra fat into something more fun?
Here’s my salad redo, with a fancier dress and much cooler toppings to please the palate:
Choose your veggies:
Hearts of romaine lettuce and baby spinach—lots!
Carrots—baby, shredded, sliced, diced—it really doesn’t matter.
Bell Peppers—your choice in colors.
Tomatoes – they can be cherry, grape, yellow, orange or red—your choice here too!
Any veggies you want to add here is fine
Isn’t this fun, you get to decorate your meal—too cool!
Want to add protein?
Choose one: 2 hard-boiled egg whites OR about 3 ounces (handful) leftover chicken, beef, pork, or fish—which I’m sure was lean 
OR small can of tuna packed in water OR ½ cup beans such as garbanzo or kidney beans.
If you really like cheese in your salad try one made with part skim milk such as mozzarella or a fat free Feta cheese.
Now choose your toppings:
½ Granny Smith Apple- diced sliced or anyway you like it OR mandarin orange slices OR Berries, why not? Try it out, this is your meal. Don’t have any fresh fruit? Try raisins, craisins, dried cherries, fig..all good for you but watch out for added sugars.
1/8 cup chopped Walnuts. Walnuts are a great source of Omega-3. (Source: Worlds Healthiest Foods)
OK go ahead, give it a little outfit:
1 TBS Olive oil mixed with 1TBS Lemon or Lime Juice—that’s all the dressing up this salad will need.
Yes olive oil and walnuts have fat, but it’s good fat. Tim Moore from the Vitaminstuff shares great tips about olive oil and its nutritional values. The tangy and crunch taste of the apple or the sweet, citrus from the mandarin is a pleasant surprise to the palate as are the walnuts and dried fruits.
Toss it all together and voila! You have yourself a well dressed salad. When you are done with this meal you will be satisfied, for a while. Enjoy and please, share your salad re-do with us.
Stay Well,
Spin Diva!
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Tom Parker says:
Great post Spin Diva. Salad dressings and other condiments are a part of our diet where the calories can really creep up on us. Since they are liquid based we always tend to monitor them less closely. By dressing our salads with a small amount of olive oil as you suggest we seriously reduce the total calories in the salad and make it a lot more healthy. I have also found that balsamic vinegar is a great way to dress your salad.
May 25, 2008 at 10:03 am
spindiva says:
Thanks Tom. You are so right about the fact that we don’t monitor liquid foods as closely, which is probably why people will drink sodas in mass amounts. I also love balsamic vinegar in my salad or mixed with a little olive oil, basil and crushed garlic for a tasty bread dip instead of butter or cheese dips.
May 25, 2008 at 11:52 am
Aleksandar healthyman says:
Yeah, great post. Many people aren’t aware of that facts about salads. And must say, thet is a great title, too ( Undress your salad!)
May 27, 2008 at 2:01 pm
antioxidants says:
Great to find you here. Great and informational post as usual just like your family in shape blog.
June 7, 2008 at 5:52 am
cookies says:
great blog with useful healthy information at there, i like salad too, thank’s.
July 29, 2008 at 6:44 am
Bryan says:
Nice post! btw i really love eating salads..would surely try this one! =)..thanks
August 23, 2008 at 11:50 am
Health Diva says:
Great article. for some reason I was under the impression that only croutons were messing up with the healthy part of eating salads, I never really gave much thought to dressings. Anywho… a regular olive oil tablespoon with salt and some garlic should do just fine, no need for creamy fatty dressings.
October 14, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Health and Fitness says:
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October 28, 2008 at 1:44 am
Cory from Dental Heroes says:
Great recipe. Adding protein to the salad is a must. I always make sure that the calories are derived primarily from the salad and not the dressing. So basic, but so misunderstood by a lot of people.
November 17, 2008 at 5:28 am
Sorina says:
This is a very entertaining blog. Well-written and clever. You are now on my favorite list.
November 23, 2008 at 6:09 pm
CG the Foodie says:
This is a great post. Gave me some new ideas to mix up into my salads!
March 27, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Matt says:
Great blog and great post on salads.
Another dressing that I like is a balanced omega oil such as Udo’s or similar - brings a nice nutty taste while delivering nothing but the healthiest of fats.
Adding some form of chilli (fresh or flakes) can provide a useful temporary boost in metabolism also.
April 12, 2009 at 9:12 am
Carrie says:
This is a great post! People (including me) forget hoe many calories/fat cheese and ranch add to a salad! You have a great blog!
April 15, 2009 at 10:56 am
Robert Henry says:
I used to eat Salad for good digestion and to keep myself active and healthy.Eating salad also maintains cholestrol level of the body.
April 29, 2009 at 5:26 am