Strategies for Salad Bar Survival
Not Every Salad is Diet-Friendly
> -- By Becky Hand, Licensed & Registered Dietitian
The infamous salad bar, available everywhere from work cafeterias to
> family
> restaurants, can round out a meal with a wholesome side dish, or be a meal
> all by itself. What could be more healthy and nutritious? Those vegetables
> and fruits can be loaded with a variety of nutrients, including
> beta-carotene, vitamins A and C, potassium, folic acid and fiber.
> However, the salad bar can also be filled with dangerous landmines, ready
> to
> blow your calorie intake to smithereens! In fact, if you're not careful,
> you
> can innocently fill that salad plate with items that add up to over 1,000
> calories-more than a burger and fries or a steak and potato dinner!
> Take the safe path and apply these strategies to avoid salad bar traps:
Use a smaller plate; limit the number of trips you make.
Start with the nutrient-rich dark green, leafy vegetables, such as
> spinach, romaine, and endive.
Fill up your plate with vegetables like lettuce, cucumbers, peppers,
> broccoli and tomatoes.
Power on the protein with legumes, beans, lean meat, turkey, and
> crabmeat.
Take only a small taste of the high-fat food items such as pasta
> salad, potato salad, macaroni salad, and coleslaw.
Go easy on extras like croutons, chow mein noodles, crackers, nuts,
> seeds, crumbled bacon, and shredded cheeses.
Dress your salad for success with 2 tablespoons of a low-calorie or
> light salad dressing, OR only 1 tablespoon of regular salad dressing. For
> a
> new taste twist try a splash of flavored vinegar.
If the salad bar contains soups, go for a broth-based version over a
> cream-style selection.
Allow only a small taste of the whipped topping-jello-fruit
> combinations.
For dessert, return to the salad bar for a small plate of fruit
> topped with a little yogurt or cottage cheese.
Use the following guide to chart your course while maneuvering through
your next salad bar excursion:
Salad Bar Guide
Food
Amount
Calories
Fat Grams
Vegetables
Artichoke Hearts
1/4 Cup
20
Trace
Avocado
1/4 Cup
75
8
Bean Sprouts
1/4 Cup
8
Trace
Beets
>
> 1/4 Cup
>
> 15
>
> 0
>
>
> Bell Pepper
>
> 2 Tbsp
>
> 3
>
> Trace
>
>
> Broccoli
>
> 1/4 Cup
>
> 6
>
> Trace
>
>
> Carrot, shredded
>
> 1/4 Cup
>
> 15
>
> Trace
>
>
> Cauliflower
>
> 1/4 Cup
>
> 6
>
> Trace
>
>
> Cucumber
>
> 1/4 Cup
>
> 4
>
> Trace
>
>
> Green Peas
>
> 2 Tbsp
>
> 30
>
> Trace
>
>
> Lettuce
>
> 1 Cup
>
> 10
>
> Trace
>
>
> Mushrooms
>
> 1/4 Cup
>
> 5
>
> Trace
>
>
> Olives, ripe
>
> 2 Tbsp
>
> 30
>
> 4
>
>
> Radishes
>
> 2 Tbsp
>
> 2
>
> Trace
>
>
> Spinach
>
> 1 Cup
>
> 10
>
> Trace
>
>
> Tomato
>
> 1/4 Cup
>
> 15
>
> Trace
>
>
> Fruits
>
>
> Fruit Cocktail, canned in juice
>
> 1/4 Cup
>
> 35
>
> 0
>
>
> Mandarin Oranges, in juice
>
> 1/4 Cup
>
> 25
>
> 0
>
>
> Melon, fresh
>
> 1/4 Cup
>
> 15
>
> 0
>
>
> Peaches, canned in juice
>
> 1/4 Cup
>
> 25
>
> 0
>
>
> Pineapple, canned in juice
>
> 1/4 Cup
>
> 35
>
> 0
>
>
> Raisins
>
> 2 Tbsp
>
> 60
>
> 0
>
>
> Strawberries, fresh
>
> 1/4 Cup
>
> 10
>
> 0
>
>
> Beans, Nuts, Seeds
>
>
> Chickpeas
>
> 1/4 Cup
>
> 40
>
> < 1
>
>
> Kidney Beans
>
> 1/4 Cup
>
> 55
>
> Trace
>
>
> Sunflower Seeds
>
> 1 Tbsp
>
> 80
>
> 7
>
>
> Meat, Poultry, Fish, Eggs
>
>
> Eggs, chopped
>
> 2 Tbsp
>
> 25
>
> 2
>
>
> Ham, chopped
>
> 1 oz
>
> 35
>
> 1
>
>
> Shrimp
>
> 1 oz
>
> 30
>
> < 1
>
>
> Turkey
>
> 1 oz
>
> 35
>
> < 1
>
>
> Tuna, canned in water
>
> 1 oz
>
> 35
>
> < 1
>
>
> Cheese, Dairy
>
>
> Cottage Cheese, creamed
>
> 1/4 Cup
>
> 60
>
> 3
>
>
> Cottage Cheese, 1% low fat
>
> 1/4 Cup
>
> 40
>
> < 1
>
>
> Cheddar Cheese
>
> 2 Tbsp
>
> 55
>
> 5
>
>
> Mozzarella Cheese
>
> 2 Tbsp
>
> 40
>
> 4
>
>
> Parmesan Cheese
>
> 2 Tbsp
>
> 45
>
> 3
>
>
> Others
>
>
> Chow Mein Noodles
>
> 1 Tbsp
>
> 50
>
> 2
>
>
> Croutons
>
> 1/4 Cup
>
> 27
>
> 4
>
>
> Bacon Bits
>
> 1 Tbsp
>
> 25
>
> 2
>
>
> Mixed Salads
>
>
> Cole Slaw
>
> 1/4 Cup
>
> 45
>
> 5
>
>
> Macaroni Salad
>
> 1/4 Cup
>
> 100
>
> 10
>
>
> Potato Salad
>
> 1/4 Cup
>
> 100
>
> 10
>
>
> Tuna Salad
>
> 1/4 Cup
>
> 190
>
> 10
>
>
> Three Bean Salad
>
> 1/4 Cup
>
> 60
>
> 0
>
>
> Dressings
>
>
> Blue Cheese
>
> 2 Tbsp
>
> 155
>
> 15
>
>
> Italian
>
> 2 Tbsp
>
> 160
>
> 15
>
>
> French
>
> 2 Tbsp
>
> 135
>
> 15
>
>
> Italian, low calorie
>
> 2 Tbsp
>
> 15
>
> 0
>
Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp
8
0
Oil and Vinegar
2 Tbsp
> 100
8
1000 Island
2 Tbsp
120
> 10
Vinegar
2 Tbsp
4
0
www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=190>
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