5 salad toppings you should be eating … and 5 to omit

5 salad toppings you should be eating … and 5 to omit

Trying to make healthier food choices? Before you grab that salad, consider what you’re tossing on it.

“Salads can be very good for you, but if you’re not careful, they can be quite unhealthy,” says Robert Carrara, a registered dietitian and diabetes educator at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, Ill. “You might be surprised by the number of calories in some salad dressings, and you can defeat all your good intentions by piling on crispy chicken or bacon. Instead, look for options that are tasty and healthy.”

When it comes to salads, Carrara has five suggestions for what to add and what to omit.

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Comments

4 Comments

  1. Agree with almost all of these. Depends on type of cheese. Strongly flavored cheeses used sparingly don’t add significantly to salad. Seeds? Difficult to eat in a salad. Roasted chicken definitely if homemade. Raw broccoli while healthy it does make some gassy.

  2. I grow my own lettuce, mixed variety, which is best to eat.

  3. Mixed salad greens, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced mini cucumber, diced yellow bell pepper, diced hot banana pepper, minced 1/2 small red onion, OPTIONAL protein of seared Tuna or grilled chicken (or avocado). Topped off with season to taste sprinkling of Lawerys season salt. Dressing is a 1:1 olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing. This an a Creaser salad are the only two salads needed in life.

  4. Sure, a salad with fried chicken kinds of defeats the purpose. How much Bacon is really bad? A sprinkle of bacon adds some nice flavor, and some cheeses like feta also add some nice flavor without being detrimental to one’s health. I looked it up: a TBS of crumbled bacon adds 23 calories. Hardly breaks the bank, even if one eats it every day. One oz of Feta cheese has 75 calories and 4 grams of protein.

    The graphic shows chia seeds, somewhat difficult to eat, but other seeds and nuts pack a nice flavor punch, but are as calorically dense as cheese. EVOO with balsamic vinegar is a better dressing; the fats in the oil are beneficial and allow the body to absorb fat soluble vitamins in the salad: A, D, E, K. Did you ever try to eat a salad with just balsamic vinegar? Its easier to NOT eat the salad under the circumstances. How about trying a homemade lemon vinaigrette with lemon juice and EVOO and spices?

    So many other possibilities to add for flavor: Ginger? Sesame oil? Miso? Beets?

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health enews Staff
health enews Staff

health enews staff is a group of experienced writers from our Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care sites, which also includes freelance or intern writers.