I have always had may share of salads, but since I have been working on my health and my weight, I strive to include a good salad into my eating program each day.
I have found that I really enjoy the spring green mix that is available at stores year around at a very reasonable price.
In it you will find wonderful verities of greens all the way from mixed lettuces to chard and arugula.
I buy a big plastic box of it at Costco each week. I have found Coscto's price is excellent, and they have a big turnover so they are often fresher that what I find in the stores.
One nice thing about buying in bulk is you can check the date on the top of the box to see if you can eat it before it goes bad.
Salads can be your best friend when you're trying to lose weight.
Cool and crunchy and packed with lots of nutrients, they can be a great accompaniment to an entree or a satisfying meal by themselves.
Too often our limited concept of salads begins and ends with lettuce.
There are so many different combinations of vegetables, fruits, beans and grains that can give your salad a special twist.
Dressings can be the downfall of many a healthy salad. For instance, a 2-tablespoon serving of many dressings may have as many as 150 calories, with a high percent coming from fat. Look for flavorful low-fat dressings, such as Newman's Own Lighten Up Low Fat Sesame Ginger. It adds a lot of flavor for 35 calories per 2 tablespoons, but it is a little high in sodium. Omit soft cheeses, bacon bits, and nuts, as these tend to be high in calories
Salad Bar
Salads are easier to make than ever because greens are available from the grocery store already cleaned and snipped into bite-size pieces. (The USDA still recommends rinsing bagged salad greens as a precaution.)
Packaged salads include:
Baby spinach
Cole slaw mix
Caesar salad mix
European mix
Iceberg mix
Romaine mix
Spring greens (my favorite)
Suggested salad mix-ins:
Artichoke hearts (without oil)
Green olives (sparingly, four olives per serving)
Black olives (sparingly, four olives per serving)
Hard-cooked eggs (one per serving)
Grated hard cheese (sparingly, 1 to 2 tablespoons)
Chicken breast (3 ounces per serving)
Radishes
Asparagus
Jicama
Bell peppers
Celery
Mushrooms
Sprouts
Snap peas
Three-bean salad
Berries
Apples
Tuna
Oranges or clementines
Avocado (1/4 per serving)
When I eat out I like to have a grilled chicken salad. I do not have the dressing but take my own as the dressing can really add the hidden calories. Remember most dressing are made from some type of oil and oils are 120 calories from 1 tablespoon. I have seen dressing in the store as high as 150 calories per tablespoon.
Enjoy the wonderful variety of greens, vegetables and fruits that can go into salads. They can be load with nutrients.
TV personality and author Dian Thomas shares her journey of weight loss, exercise and life on the run every other Wednesday in the Deseret News and at www.DianThomas.com. Her weekly blog also runs Mondays at deseretnews.com, and she takes tour groups to China. Contact her at www.dianthomas.com/travel.htm.
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