Have you ever been at a restaurant and decided that you were going to make the healthy choice and order a salad? While that grilled chicken caesar salad seemed like a healthy choice, did you know that you actually may be sabotaging your diet? A grilled chicken caesar salad at Panera can run you 500 calories and a staggering 28 grams of fat!

As I had mentioned in my previous Salad Smarts post, lettuce is a super-healthy, low-calorie choice.  So why on earth would an innocent-sounding chicken salad be so high in fat and calories? Good question! The fact is, it often all comes down to the dressings you chose.

For example, here is the nutrition information for two tablespoons of some common salad dressings:

 French dressing:
 146 calories
 14.4 grams of fat

 Caesar dressing:
 156 calories
 17 grams of fat

 Ranch dressing:
 148 calories
 15.6 grams of fat

 Thousand Island:
 118 calories
 11.2 grams of fat

And often when we eat out and order a salad, the dressing comes already mixed into the lettuce, eliminating our ability to control just how much dressing we’re actually eating! And on average, a restaurant salad will contain (much) more than two tablespoons of dressing.

Now, don’t panic. Salad is still an excellent choice – the key is to really focus on what you’re putting on top of it!  Here are a few of my favorite alternative dressings that still give you tons of flavor, but leave out all of that unnecessary fat!

Salsa. Like a little spice in your salad?  Salsa makes a fantastic low-calorie topping for any salad.  Pick your heat – mild, medium or hot!

Lemon juice. For a nice, tangy alternative, try squeezing some fresh lemon juice on the top of your lettuce. This is an especially good choice for salads already containing citrus!

Low-fat or Fat-free. If you’re at a restaurant ordering a salad, be sure to ask if they have any low or fat-free versions of dressings. You can often save yourself quite a few calories by substituting the lighter version for the full-fat alternative.

Now, if you happen to find yourself craving a salad topped with the real-deal dressings, there are some techniques you can use to prevent yourself from going overboard.  I often have my dressing on the side, and dip the tip of my fork into it before stabbing some salad. I’ve found that I use much less dressing using this method! 

What do you do to help keep salad dressing from ruining your healthy meal?  Leave a comment and let me know – I’d love to hear about it!

Related Posts:
Salad Smarts: Choosing Your Lettuce
Eating Out Guide to Making Healthy Choices
Eat Less. Move More.

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