Salad Smarts
by by Joy Bauer, M.S., R.D., C.D.N.
Over the years, so many of my weight loss clients have been fooled by the word "salad." I find that a lot of people think "salad" automatically means low-calorie diet food. Wrong! Salads can be incredibly misleading.
For example, a classic Cobb salad with chopped bacon, egg, blue cheese, avocado, and creamy dressing, or standard restaurant chef salad loaded with Swiss cheese, roast beef, eggs, and dressing can cost you more than 1,000 calories and 80 grams fat! For some people, that's more than half their day's worth of calories (and more than all of their fat).
That said, please don't give up on salads -- they're loaded with nutrition and can be satisfying and delicious (especially in the summer). If you're up for creating an interesting salad at home, try my "Chopped Chicken Salad with Apples and Walnuts." It's less than 600 calories and really yummy (okay, I'm bias!).
Chopped Chicken Salad with Apples & WalnutsM
This loaded salad is delicious and provides a generous amount of protein, high quality carbs, soluble fiber, and 80% of your daily requirement for Folic acid.
Serves 1
* 4 - 5 oz. Chicken breast, cooked, chopped
* ¼ cup chopped cucumber with peel
* ¼ cup chopped tomato
* ½ cup chickpeas
* ½ medium Fuji or Macintosh apple w/ skin, chopped
* 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
* ¼ cup chopped avocado
* ¼ cup chopped celery
* 2 scallions, finely chopped
* 1-2 cups chopped romaine
* 2-4 Tablespoons low-cal raspberry vinaigrette
Nutrition Information
* Calories:569
* Protein: 44 grams
* Carbohydrates: 53grams
o Fiber: 14 grams
* Total Fat: 23 grams
o Saturated Fat: 2.5 grams
* Cholesterol: 91 mg
In my next blog entry, I'll show you how to create a perfect low-calorie salad the next time you hit a salad bar.
