Posted on: Monday, August 29, 2005
Some salad bars are loaded with calories
By Sadia Latifi
Knight Ridder News Service
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This salad — romaine lettuce with strawberries, almonds and poppy seed dressing — becomes un-healthy once you add lots of cheese, croutons and bacon bits.
Associated Press
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You just can't go wrong with a salad.
It's a common assumption to make, nutritionists say, but in truth, salad bars can be as dangerous to your diet as fast food restaurants.
"I just have to cringe sometimes because I know people think they're doing the right thing," said Elizabeth Pivonka, a registered dietitian and the president of the Produce for Better Health Foundation in Wilmington, Del. "But when you put Jell-O and pudding with your salad, it doesn't count."
Salad bars have gained enormous popularity in the past few years as the healthiest option while eating out, but as the market grows more competitive, the salads have grown more extravagant — and less healthful.
Here's how to avoid extra pounds:
No matter what the scale of the salad bar, the most important items to load up on are fruits and vegetables, which have few calories. Just don't cheat and add any sort of dressing or sauce; fruits and vegetables are freebies only on their own.
The more vibrant the color of the food, the more vitamins it has in it, said Tom Miner, principal at Technomic, a Chicago consulting firm for food-service companies. Also select greens that look vibrant to ensure they're fresh.
Avoid the cheese, said Dr. Amy Lanou, a senior nutrition scientist at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit organization. She said that "everyone hates me" for this recommendation, so if you can't resist, take only a small amount.
Try to avoid drowning salads in dressings or sauces. "It's the salad dressing that kills you lots of times," Pivonka said. If you think no salad is complete without dressing, avoid the creamier ones. Vinegar-based dressings such as Thai vinaigrette are tasty and better for you. Or get dressing on the side so you can control how much you eat, or add vinegar or lemon to cut the fat content, suggested Lisa Talamini, the chief nutritionist and program director for the weight-loss company Jenny Craig.
Skip mayonnaise-based salads, such as potato or egg salad. If you must have them, continue with Talamini's "dilution" game. Add a few more vegetables or use these salads to stuff a hollow tomato.
Skipping the bacon bits, but still want to add flavor? "Reinvent your salads with the season," Talamini said, and go for the fruit. Try spinach with strawberries in the summer; pears and apples in the fall.
Portion size is everything. Everyone loves croutons but, in terms of flavor, a few can go a long way. Other items that are a bit higher in calories include beans, peas, olives, tuna, chicken and hard-boiled eggs, so eat those in moderate amounts. On the other hand, if you're eating the right kind of salad, it's almost impossible to go overboard. "You can hurt yourself by eating too much, but very, very, very few people will hurt themselves on salad. Most of the raw vegetables are so low in calories, you can get away with what seems like an enormous amount but not get as many calories as you will from a piece of lasagna," Lanou said.
Be the first in line. "We're far less likely to be influenced by others. Managing a salad bar is partly about the mindset you bring to it," Talamini said.
Nutritionists agree that consumers should be wary of the myths surrounding salad diets, but they say the salad bar can be a powerful tool if controlled.
"If you make the right salad, you can in fact better manage your weight," Talamini said.
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