Salad Bar Smarts

Today’s salad bars offer everything from soup to nuts – cheeses, breads, soups, and side dishes of pasta and potato salads, as well as sunflower seeds, croutons, bacon bits, olives and creamy dressings. If you’re not watchful, your salad could easily drown in a fat bath.

But the nice thing about salad bars is they offer choice. You can enjoy a satisfying meal heaped with nutrition, not fat, when you practice these salad bar smarts:

What to PICK

 

  • dark greens, like Romaine or spinach
  • a variety of vegetables, including tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, mushrooms and carrots
  • dried beans, such as kidney or garbanzo, that aren’t marinated in oil
  • a small serving of grated cheese (1 tbs maximum)
  • low-fat or fat-free dressing (if unavailable, use a few drops of vinegar and oil); or use regular dressing (1 tbs maximum) on the side
  • sliced boiled egg
  • broth-based soups, like chicken noodle, beef barley, or vegetable
  • fresh seasonal fruit

 

What to PASS
  • pasta or potato salads made with mayonnaise, sour cream or oil
  • coleslaw made with mayonnaise
  • bacon bits and croutons
  • marinated mushrooms
  • more than 1 tbs grated cheese
  • more than 1 tbs regular dressing (most contain 75 to 90 calories per tbs)
  • pre-dressed Caesar salad
  • cream-based soups

 

 
Salad Bar
COMPARISON

Salad No. 1 
1/2 cup broccoli, 1/4 cup shredded carrots, 1/4 cup grated cheese, 1/4 cup Chinese noodles, 1/2 cup coleslaw, 1/2 cup potato salad, 1/2 cup macaroni salad, 2 tbs sliced egg, 3 slices tomato, 5 slices cucumber, 1/4 cup mushrooms, 1/4 cup peas, 2 slices green pepper, 1 cup lettuce, 1 tsp bacon bits, 1 tsp sunflower seeds, 2 tbs croutons, 1/4 cup garbanzo beans, 2 tbs Thousand Island dressing
Total Calories: 964

 Salad No. 2 
1/2 cup broccoli, 1/4 cup shredded carrots, 1 tbs grated cheese, 3 slices tomato, 5 slices cucumber, 1/4 cup sliced mushrooms, 1/4 cup peas, 2 slices green pepper, 1 cup lettuce, 1 tsp sunflower seeds, 1/4 cup garbanzo beans, 2 tbs low-cal Italian dressing
Total Calories: 400

SOURCE: Tufts University Nutrition Book

 

 

RECIPE OF THE MONTH
Creamy Parmesan Dressing

1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 tbs buttermilk
3 tbs reduced-calorie mayonnaise
1 tbs prepared horseradish
1 tbs grated Parmesan cheese		 1 tbs chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

 

Combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well to blend before serving. Keeps 4 or 5 days in the refrigerator, depending on freshness of yogurt and buttermilk.

Makes 11/2 cups: 19 calories and 1g fat per tablespoon.


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