Today's salad bars offer everything from soup to nuts - cheeses, breads, soups, and side dishes of pasta and potato salads, as well as sunflower seeds, croutons, bacon bits, olives and creamy dressings. If you're not watchful, your salad could easily drown in a fat bath. But the nice thing about salad bars is they offer choice. You can enjoy a satisfying meal heaped with nutrition, not fat, when you practice these salad bar smarts:
What to PICK |
- dark greens, like Romaine or spinach
- a variety of vegetables, including tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, mushrooms and carrots
- dried beans, such as kidney or garbanzo, that aren't marinated in oil
- a small serving of grated cheese (1 tbs maximum)
- low-fat or fat-free dressing (if unavailable, use a few drops of vinegar and oil); or use regular dressing (1 tbs maximum) on the side
- sliced boiled egg
- broth-based soups, like chicken noodle, beef barley, or vegetable
- fresh seasonal fruit
What to PASS |
- pasta or potato salads made with mayonnaise, sour cream or oil
- coleslaw made with mayonnaise
- bacon bits and croutons
- marinated mushrooms
- more than 1 tbs grated cheese
- more than 1 tbs regular dressing (most contain 75 to 90 calories per tbs)
- pre-dressed Caesar salad
- cream-based soups
Salad No. 1 1/2 cup broccoli, 1/4 cup shredded carrots, 1/4 cup grated cheese, 1/4 cup Chinese noodles, 1/2 cup coleslaw, 1/2 cup potato salad, 1/2 cup macaroni salad, 2 tbs sliced egg, 3 slices tomato, 5 slices cucumber, 1/4 cup mushrooms, 1/4 cup peas, 2 slices green pepper, 1 cup lettuce, 1 tsp bacon bits, 1 tsp sunflower seeds, 2 tbs croutons, 1/4 cup garbanzo beans, 2 tbs Thousand Island dressing Total Calories: 964 |
Salad No. 2 1/2 cup broccoli, 1/4 cup shredded carrots, 1 tbs grated cheese, 3 slices tomato, 5 slices cucumber, 1/4 cup sliced mushrooms, 1/4 cup peas, 2 slices green pepper, 1 cup lettuce, 1 tsp sunflower seeds, 1/4 cup garbanzo beans, 2 tbs low-cal Italian dressing Total Calories: 400 SOURCE: Tufts University Nutrition Book |
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Creamy Parmesan Dressing
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