5 Salads That Can Be Worse for a Dieter Than a Whopper

guest — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 16:15:32 GMT

Most people on weight-reduction diets believe that having a salad for meal is a low calorie option that’s preferable to eating a Whopper or a Big Mac. Not always the case. Many salads come loaded with dried fruits, nuts, avocado, corn, and beans. Nutritious ingredients, yes, but caloric—especially if lots of cheese is sprinkled on top.

Salad dressing can be a real calorie-killer. Even a little bit of dressing on a big salad can become a LOT of dressing! Perhaps that’s why I’ve observed that people who eat salads for meals tend to be heavier than people who eat sandwiches. As for myself, I’ll take my sandwich with a small (but colorful) side salad.

Let’s see how some salads compare:

Entree	Calories	Fat: Total	Fat: % of calories	Sodium
Whopper	670	39 g	52%	970 mg
Big Mac	550	29	48%	1,000

Burger King Caesar Salad with Tendercrisp chicken	670	43	58%	1,760
Cheesecake Factory Grilled Chicken Tostada Salad	1,130	39	31%	2,150
Panera Fuji Apple Chicken Salad	710	34	43%	1,380
Olive Garden Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad	610	40	59%	1.230
Applebee’s Grilled Shrimp ‘N Spinach Salad	960	65	61%	2,500
Without dressing	630	46	66%	1,660

For more information on how to create a super sports salad, check out my Sports Nutrition Guidebook.

Nancy Clark's Recipes for Athletes are also available as an app.

But fatty foods taste sooo good....

guest — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 12:37:28 GMT

One reason why restaurant foods can taste soooo good is they have a high fat content. Fat—butter, olive oil, beef lard—adds both flavor as well as a nice texture to foods. French fries, chocolate chip cookies, Fettuccine Alfredo‑these all have an appealing taste and texture, thanks to their high fat content.

The trouble is, excess calories of fat can very easily turn into undesired body fat. Yet, you can enjoy an occasional temptation without it becoming a dietary disaster. The trick is to balance the rest of the day’s meals with lower fat and lower calorie choices.

You also might want to first visit the tempting food’s website to learn the nutrition facts. Calorie and fat info might ruin your appetite! For example, did you know…

• A Cinnabon has 880 calories, of which more than a third are from fat (36 grams fat).

• A Big Mac has 540 calories, of which almost half are from fat.

• A Pizza Hut Personal Pan Pepperoni Pizza has 610 calories, of which 43% are from fat (26 grams fat).

• A Mrs. Field’s Chocolate Chip Cookie has 210 calories, of which 43% are from fat (10 grams fat).

• One slice of a Cheesecake Factory Original Cheesecake has 710 calories. My guess is more than half the calories are from fat. Their website nutrition information lists fat data as “not available.” Perhaps it is too scary to post!

If you are hankering for high fat food, the smarter choice is to indulge in healthful fats from nuts, peanut butter, salmon, avocado and olive oil. How about peanut butter on a banana?

Blog Posts From Active Expert: Nancy Clark RD CSSD Tagged With fast_foods

5 Salads That Can Be Worse for a Dieter Than a Whopper

But fatty foods taste sooo good....