Don't be fooled by a salad just because it's a salad!

Don’t be fooled by foods that sound healthy but aren’t. When it comes to “salads” they’re often not as nutrient-rich and calorie-poor as you might think.

In fact, salads can often pile on more calories than a fast food burger and fries.

Here’s how to make sure your salad satisfies without becoming a diet disaster.

Eating salad can be a great way to boost important nutrients in your diet. One study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, found that just one salad serving per day boosted blood levels of folic acid, vitamins C and E, lycopene and carotenoids in the bloodstream and another study found that eating a large salad as your starter can reduce the overall calories you eat in that meal by 12 percent!

But salads aren’t always the best choice when watching your weight. You can easily build your own salad from a salad bar that tops 1,000 calories and many restaurant salads are drowning in dressing, sending calorie counts sky high. Consider: An Applebee’s Grilled Shrimp ‘N Spinach Salad has 960 calories and 65g fat and California Pizza Kitchen’s California Cobb with Ranch Dressing carries 940 calories and 72g fat.

Toppings that make salads rich in calories and unhealthy saturated fat include full-fat dressing, cheese, croutons, and mayo-rich options like tuna or egg salad. The best choices are obvious: salad greens, any raw or cooked veggies; beans; lean proteins like chicken or turkey and a light (not fat free) dressing.


Let’s compare two salads created from the same salad bar. Each contains the same portion of salad greens, six different toppings and dressing:


Calorie-Rich Salad

2 cups salad greens, 16 cals, 0g fat
Croutons, ¼ cup, 50 cals, 2g fat
Black olives, 5 pieces, 25 cals, 2.4g fat
Cheddar Cheese, ¼ cup shredded, 114 cals, 9.4g fat
Sunflower seeds, 2 Tbsp, 100 cals, 9g fat
Bacon bits, 2 Tbsp, 50 cals, 3g fat
Sliced almonds, 2 Tbsp, 100 cals, 9g fat
Ranch dressing, ¼ cup, 218 cals, 23g fat
Totals: 673 Calories, 58 grams fat

Build a Skinnier Salad

2 cups salad greens, 16 cals, 0g fat
Tomatoes, 5 cherry, 15 cals, 2g fat
Cucumber, ¼ cup sliced, 5 cals, 0g fat
Yellow bell pepper, 5 rings, 15 cals, 0g fat
Red kidney beans, 2 Tbsp, 24 cals, 0g fat
Carrots, ¼ cup shredded, 11 cals, 0g fat
Mushrooms, ¼ cup sliced, 4 cals, 0g fat
Ranch dressing, reduced-fat, 2 Tbsp, 59 cals, 3.7g fat
150 calories, 6 grams fat

Clearly, the toppings make a heavy difference. Salad #1 stacks up with over four times as many calories and almost ten times as much fat as Salad #2!

Use this salad toppings guide to choose leaner choices to build a better salad.

Salad Toppings Guide	Calories	Fat (grams)
Croutons, ¼ cup	50	2
Chinese noodles, 2 Tbsp	30	2
Bacon bits, 2 Tbsp	50	3
Sliced almonds, 2 Tbsp	100	9
Pumpkin seeds, 2 Tbsp	148	12
Sunflower seeds, 2 Tbsp	100	9
Raisins or dried cranberries, 2 Tbsp	70	0
Black olives, 5 pieces	25	2.4
Sliced mushrooms, ¼ cup	4	0
Red onion, 5 slices	29	0
Tomato, 5 cherry	15	2
Carrots, ¼ cup shredded	11	0
Bell pepper, 5 rings	15	0
Cucumber, ¼ cup sliced	5	0
Blue cheese, 2 Tbsp crumbled	60	4.8
Feta, 2 Tbsp crumbled	50	4
Cheddar cheese, ¼ cup shredded	114	9.4
Red kidney beans, 2 Tbsp	24	0
Chickpeas, 2 Tbsp	36	.3
Tofu, ¼ cup diced	91	5.5
Chicken, ¼ cup diced	58	1.2
Hard boiled egg, 2 Tbsp	26	1.8
Light tuna, water-packed, drained, ¼ cup	45	.3