Nothing says summer like a nice, crisp, fresh summer salad to help beat the heat and get rid of that muffin top.  Eating salads is one of the best ways to lose weight and naturally control your appetite by keeping you fuller longer.  However, for many of us, a good salad means ranch dressing, bacon bits, and many other fat filled, diet busting toppings.  I asked the 80 Sensa customer service representatives what their favorite salad toppings were and wasn’t at all surprised when bacon bits topped the list…it’s one of my favorites too.  Coming in at a close second was cheddar cheese with hardboiled eggs at number 3.  Just those three toppings alone added 200 calories to an otherwise healthy salad, and that doesn’t even include salad dressing!  What are some of your favorite toppings?  See how they stack up nutritionally, and if they hurt or help your weight loss goals.

Bet you didn’t know your favorite salad contained the same amount of fat and calories as a McDonald’s cheeseburger did you?  Salads are a basic staple of many celebrity diets, so if want to whittle your waist and get bikini ready for the summer, like Sensa spokeswoman Patti Stanger, follow these tips to keep you and your salad healthy:

1. The greener the better-Iceberg has a nice crunch but contains almost no nutritional value.  Pick a nice leafy green like spinach, arugula, romaine, or leaf lettuce.  Try tossing in some red cabbage for a nice crunch and added fiber.

2.  Use oil-based dressings-I’m a curvy girl who loves her some creamy Ranch dressing, but not at the expense of my diet!  Try using oil-based Vinaigrette to whet your palate instead.  You’ll save some calories and add essential Fatty Acids to your salad making the carbs easier to digest.  With any salad, order your dressing on side and dip your fork into it before each bite to keep your calories in check.

3.  Veggitize your salad- I just made that word up, but it fits right?  Adding veggies like mushroom, carrots, peppers, onions, and cucumbers help to keep your salad naturally low fat and low calories while upping the fiber ante, filling you up and never letting you down, naturally controlling your appetite.   Plus, you’ll reach the 5 vegetables quota we all stringently strive to meet in no time.

4.  Limit yourself to one serving of added fat topping  per salad- If you just have to have cheese, make sure it’s low-fat and skip the bacon bits.  If you need the bacon, as I so often do, omit the sunflower seeds.  Choose one fat that you just can’t stand to live without, and load up on veggies instead.  If you go overboard you might end up with a salad with the fat content equivalent to that bacon cheeseburger you’re actually craving.  In that case, you might as well go for the cheeseburger.

5. Choose your fast food salad wisely-If you’re pressed for time and opt for a fast food salad, choose wisely.  Anything with the word taco in it is to be avoided at all costs, as they’re usually around 850 calories and a whopping 45 grams of fat…yowza!  The same goes for anything with chili or bacon in it.  These are highly processed and contain little or no nutritional value.  Instead choose your average, run of the mill Caesar or Asian chicken salad, then ask for low-fat or fat free dressing.  Try to use only half the dressing in the pack to keep your calories low.  WebMD rated Subway’s Roast Beef Salad with 1/2 pack of fat-free Ranch Dressing their top pick as one of the best fast food salads, and with a calorie count of 150 and only3 grams of fat, I’m inclined to agree.   Mc Donald’s Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad with 1/2 packs low-fat Vinaigrette, sans croutons, at 230 calories and 9 grams of fat also made the list.

Whether you create your salad at a bar or order from a menu, try to choose your toppings wisely to avoid turning a those healthy greens into a vat of fat.   Salads are fresh, fast, easy, and if you take my advice, the best way to lose weight. Summer is the prime time to get to the grocery store and load up on salad ingredients, as there are so many great recipes and varieties of salads you can make.  Peruse the top 20 salad recipes at Allrecipes.com for some tasty ideas! Whatever the variety, don’t forget to sprinkle Sensa!!

Bon Appetit!

Yolanda

Posted in Main at July 20th, 2010 by Guest Blogger
Tags: celebrity weight, healthy, healthy eating tips, healty eating tips
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