So as some of you may know I have started my Dress Size Reduction Diet today www.30dayjumpstart.com and as I look over my menus for the next few days I see there are lots of vegetables but no salads so far.
This caught my eye because usually as soon as you utter the word diet, salad usually follows.
But the truth is MOST salads you find at restaurants and fast-food joints are loaded with more fat and calories than a cheeseburger and fries. Really. In fact most of the time when I see someone eating one of those salads I wonder, did you really want that or did you really want a cheeseburger but settled on the “healthier” salad?
I was out to dinner with a friend this weekend and she ordered a salad. Not only was it HUGE but it was loaded with “crispy” (fried) chicken, bacon, at least two kinds of cheese, fried croutons, and loaded with what looked like creamy (and delicious I must say) ranch dressing!
I looked up the nutritional value on the chains website and the salad came in at a whopping 970 calories! And that does not even include the dressing, bread basket and beverage.
Add that all up and for most women that is close to a full day’s worth of calories.
Even if you went with a more sensible sounding salad like a chicken Cesar or a chef, the calories still add up to well over 500 in most cases. So what should you do?
Next time you’re thinking about ordering a salad when you’re eating out follow these three tips:
1) Ask for the dressing on the side and dip your tongs in the
dressing and then pick up some salad. It gives you just enough
flavor and keeps the calories under control.
2) Choose a salad that has grilled protein in it such as chicken or
fish. The lean protein will help increase the thermic effect of
the meal thus burning more calories.
3) Ask to hold the cheeses and bacon bits. In place of these ask
for more fibrous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower. The
increase in fiber will help burn calories as well as control any
rise in blood sugars in case you happened to sneak some bread
before your salad arrived. 🙂
I know sometimes this fat loss journey can be tricky. I’m here to help!
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Sarai Jones