My current pet peeve is the restaurant salad. Too many of us are fooled into believing that just because something is called a salad it is the healthy choice. Do NOT be fooled—the salad is too often a perfect example of what I call an “unhealthy healthy” food—sneaky foods that seem healthy but that end up stealthily sabotaging progress! Unhealthy healthy foods—unlike ice cream—tend to slide under the radar and inadvertently sabotage progress.
So many people see
“salad” and think “healthy” or “good for weight loss.” Wrong. Dressings are
usually laden with sugar and filled with preservatives and unhealthy fat, and
too often salads have additives like noodles, fried ingredients, taco chips, or
dried fruits. Often in restaurants they are just a bunch of unhealthy
ingredients assembled together—think taco salad. The other day my friend
ordered a “squash salad.” What was it? A large piece of squash with a rich
sauce and fried cheese.
I am not saying never
order salads. Just know what you are eating. If you order an unhealthy salad
because you love it, great. Have a small portion and enjoy it. I live by my “love it” rule: eat and enjoy
small portions of the things you love. I just don’t want you to think you are
making the healthy choice only to end up feeling bloated and unenergetic. KNOW
what you are eating! Make an informed choice.
A few things to
keep in mind
-Be wary of
dressings. They have hidden sugar and unhealthy fat. Either ask for dressing on
the side or ask for olive oil, mustard, and balsamic so you can make your own
dressing
-Watch for salads
full of grains. I am not saying that grains are bad. Just know when you are
ordering a grain bowl, not a mainly vegetable-filled salad. Own your choices.
-Read the ingredients
carefully and ask your server questions. Watch for filler non-vegetable
ingredients; set your antenna for sugar (candied nuts, dried fruit), fried
foods (crispy nuts, tortilla chips), large portions of cheeses, unhealthy fats
(sour cream), processed foods, vegetables drenched in oils (grilled
vegetables), empty complex carbs (noodles), and salty foods (salted nuts,
meats).
-Watch portion sizes.
Salads can often be big enough to feed three people. Portion sizes count.
-Watch the amount and
number of ingredients. A subcategory of “unhealthy healthy” foods is foods that
are healthy in moderation (as in, if you eat one or two portions), but that are
not healthy when consumed willy-nilly. Think avocado, almonds, peanut butter,
crackers, high-GI fruits (mangos, pineapple), and hummus.
So many restaurant
salads are humungous and too often contain not one but many of this subcategory
of unhealthy healthy foods. For example, a salad with vegetables, chicken, and
one serving of avocado is great. A salad with grilled vegetables (soaked in
oil, so just unhealthy), chicken (drenched in a processed dressing, so
unhealthy), PLUS multiple servings of foods that should be eaten in moderation
such as avocado, nuts, and cranberries is NOT as okay.
Be particularly mindful
of the “moderation” category if you’re trying to lose weight. The key to weight
loss is not only food selection but portion control. Too often, when one knows
something is healthy, one is less mindful and doesn’t worry about portion
control. Almonds are healthy, but too many of us grab handful after handful in
a day. An entire large bag is not part of a nutritionally balanced
day—especially if one of your main goals is to lose weight.
Don't misinterpret my
words. Obviously, blatantly unhealthy foods like doughnuts are still unhealthy.
All I am trying to say is, don't try to “scam the system.” A gluten-free cookie
can be made of as much crap as a regular cookie. Plus, no matter what you are
eating, portion control is key! Don't stand at a party or at your kitchen
counter and snack mindlessly. Sit down and enjoy what you are eating. If you
decide to have an amazing piece of cake, great. Enjoy your treat. Just have one
small slice, not seven.