Is your salad making you fat? Some people come away from the salad bar with more calories on their plate than a triple cheeseburger! Somewhere under all that dressing, cheese, croutons and other toppings is lettuce and maybe a few tomatoes. The key to a filling, low- calorie salad is to use a variety of low -calorie, high nutrient ingredients. Build your salad from the bottom up. Pile on the lettuce first, then three to four vegetable servings. A serving is one cup of leafy greens or a half a cup of lightly steamed vegetables. Choose from spinach, kale, arugula, romaine, broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, squash, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, celery or any of your favorite plain vegetables. Stay away from the iceberg lettuce. The darker green lettuces have 3 times for B vitamins in them which help your muscles repair themselves after a strenuous weight workout.
The salad dressing is where most people fail at making salads healthy and weight loss friendly. Dress your salad with one tablespoon of low-fat dressing and a sprinkle of cheese. Choose a cheese with tons of flavor like Parmesan, feta, goat or blue cheese. They add a rich amount of flavor with very little calories. Your body also needs monounsaturated fats to help absorb the key nutrients from the vegetables. One great option for a low-fat salad dressing is to use extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar, but instead of mixing half of each, use 2 parts vinegar to one part oil. You can also substitute the vinegar for fresh squeezed lemon juice. I know what you're thinking...how can it be a low-fat dressing with olive oil in it? Well, when you use the 2:1 ratio and then add only 1 tablespoon to your salad, you are not getting too much fat. And the fat you are getting is very healthy for your body.
Another personal favorite is this Honey Dijon dressing. Mix 1 cup of nonfat yogurt, 1 ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard, 2 teaspoon honey, and 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Shake and add 1 tablespoon to your salad.
Add 3 ounces of a lean protein to your salad. Choose from tuna, eggs, skinless chicken breast, lean turkey meat, grilled fish, tofu, seeds or beans. The added protein will make you feel satiated longer and help you build muscle.
Salad can be healthy and helpful when it comes to weight loss. It's what you put in it that matters, so make it count. Use low-fat, high nutrient ingredients to slim your waist line and drop a pant size or two!
The salad dressing is where most people fail at making salads healthy and weight loss friendly. Dress your salad with one tablespoon of low-fat dressing and a sprinkle of cheese. Choose a cheese with tons of flavor like Parmesan, feta, goat or blue cheese. They add a rich amount of flavor with very little calories. Your body also needs monounsaturated fats to help absorb the key nutrients from the vegetables. One great option for a low-fat salad dressing is to use extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar, but instead of mixing half of each, use 2 parts vinegar to one part oil. You can also substitute the vinegar for fresh squeezed lemon juice. I know what you're thinking...how can it be a low-fat dressing with olive oil in it? Well, when you use the 2:1 ratio and then add only 1 tablespoon to your salad, you are not getting too much fat. And the fat you are getting is very healthy for your body.
Another personal favorite is this Honey Dijon dressing. Mix 1 cup of nonfat yogurt, 1 ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard, 2 teaspoon honey, and 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Shake and add 1 tablespoon to your salad.
Add 3 ounces of a lean protein to your salad. Choose from tuna, eggs, skinless chicken breast, lean turkey meat, grilled fish, tofu, seeds or beans. The added protein will make you feel satiated longer and help you build muscle.
Salad can be healthy and helpful when it comes to weight loss. It's what you put in it that matters, so make it count. Use low-fat, high nutrient ingredients to slim your waist line and drop a pant size or two!
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