Jan
Articles, Recipes & Cooking
Not So Healthy Salad Ingredients 🥗
Salads are always a great idea especially when it comes to trying to lose weight, but there are a few unhealthy ingredients that will sabotage your weight-loss efforts.
So the next time you grab a salad for lunch, try to avoid these six unhealthy ingredients:
Croutons
For that added crunch croutons do the trick, but unfortunately these tiny crispy bread pieces fall under empty calories making them non-nutritional. If you enjoy that added crunch in your salads we advise that you rather opt for roasted seeds or nuts and even a bell pepper.
Creamy Dressing
Creamy salad dressings such as thousand island and honey and mustard, just to name a few are loaded with sugar and calories. According to latest studies two tablespoons of honey and mustard dressing comes to 139kcal. So if you are really craving that creaminess, rather add in an avo, hummus or even a sprinkle of feta cheese.
Fat- Free Dressings
Fat- free doesn’t always mean the healthier option, these dressings are often loaded with salt and sugar to make them tastier. We suggest that you try out a more natural dressing, such as olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Dried Fruits
If you are looking to add some sweetness to your salad, opt for fresh fruit over dried fruit instead. Dried fruits such as raisins or cranberries add unnecessary sugar to your meals, because when fruits are dehydrated they lose water and end up being energy-dense.
Processed Meat
Who does love crispy bacon bits in a salad, they make a salad a whole lot tastier, but the calories and sodium you get from them are not going to do you any good. Don’t get us wrong here, it is a great idea to top your salad with protein, but stick to nutritious choices such as grilled salmon, chicken breast or hard-boiled eggs.
Glazed or Salted Nuts
Natural, nuts can be a wholesome addition to your salad, but you need to stay clear of those which are glazed with sugar. Nuts on their own are already pretty calorie-dense so you do not want to pile on extra calories when you simply don’t need to. We advise you to add almonds or walnuts when making a salad.
rubies let us know in the comments below what your go-to salad is and if you have mistaken any of the above pointers as being healthy – no judgement here!
rubybox HQ
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Well I’m willing to be a salad lady in 2022 I must put that in my new year resolution ☺☺
Ooh wow wow thanks rubybox. I tend to eat unhealthy foods 😥will try be a salad lady with the above tips
I am really trying to cut down on the processed meats because it’s something I’ve been used to eating often
Aah Rubybox, this is all the exciting parts of eating a salad hehe
Unfortunately it is true though 🙂
I have found that adding a little cyan pepper and spring onion to my tuna salad makes a great difference in the taste and it just gives some added flavour that makes it more pleasant to eat 🙂
I learn something new everyday, the nuts was the biggest surprise, thought they were good fats.
Very insightful, it will be very difficult for me to leave croutons out in my salads because they’re so delicious
I can admit I only like salads with either chicken or bacon bits in it haha
Having been diagnosed with High Cholesterol recently, I had to make some changes to my diet. I am proud to say that I am managing to avoid most of the unhealthy ingredients mentioned in the article. – sometimes a struggle, but I’m getting there!
I always thought dried fruit is a healthy option in salads wow a new lesson learnt here.Thank you for the insughts
thank you for a very insightful article, lots of new things I’ve learned
Wow these are interesting facts to consider i didnt know. Thank you
I had no idea about this … thanks for the eye opener as I’m on a journey to loose some weight… thank you
I personally have used some of these items,tastes divine but the health risks and realise it adds no positive effect on my health,good pointers,guess stick to eating a healthy salad