Lose weight at the salad bar:

Summer is coming!  By now, your new year’s resolution is either a great success…or something you’d rather not talk about.  However, if you are looking into this last month as a time to quickly lose weight, let’s try to make it productive.  Many of my clients, when I start with them, tell me they eat salad.  The problem lies in what is in the salad.  If you go to a salad bar or a salad café, here are five toppings to keep away from to help you reach your goal.

Salad bar don’t #1

Sun-dried tomatoes: “But Kirill, they are just tomatoes, except dried!”  Unlike fresh tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes are often covered in oil, salt, and  worst of all, preservatives.  From many of my past articles, I am not one to count calories (or to tell anyone else to either).  However, as a comparison, one cup of sun-dried tomatoes overflowing in oil contains 234 Calories and 15 g of fat (and not the good kind either).  Fresh tomatoes, on the other hand, have 32 Calories and no fat whatsoever.

Salad bar don’t #2

Tuna salad, macaroni salad, or any other _____ salad, is not approved.  Saying that it’s a salad does not make it healthy.  Salad means a mix of ingredients.  Stay away from the heavy mayo or sour cream salads. You’re just clogging yourself with unneeded fat.

Salad bar don’t #3

Shredded cheese.  While it doesn’t seem like much, one serving can have just as much fat as a pack of fries from your least favorite greasy fast-food restaurant.  Stick to a more lean type of cheese for your salads.  Provolone, even feta in small amounts will give you the flavor needed if you’re a cheese lover.

Salad bar don’t #4

Shredded Bacon.  Bacon on its own is never the best choice, and the shredded version is even more pernicious.  Most shredded bacon brands don’t actually contain bacon in the shredded bacon.  Yes, that makes it worse.  Instead of bacon, use fresh turkey!

Salad bar don’t #5

Dressing!  Ranch, caesar, blue cheese, and any other thick dressings may be delicious but they are not nutritious!  Use a vinaigrette if possible.  If you can’t get around the love for thicker dressings (I assure you that you can), then I will post a dressing made from a Greek yogurt base, which is not only delicious but nutritious ;).

There’s always an alternative choice, but you need to find what works for you. chip away at your goals  instead of trying to tackle them all at once.

Kirill Vaks
BA, CSCS, ACSM-cpt, NFPT-sns
 Performance and Fitness specialist

Suggested articles:
*Starvation mode deciphered
* Weight loss habits: 5 Don’ts

Suggested video:
* 3 point crunch rotation

Take action… Now! 

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