About Salads/Not for Melody

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-> > > - advertisement -Tired of eating poorly and always feeling thick and tired> for doing so? We can help. Simply click here to get started with a proven> diet today and a chance to win a FREE iPod!> When you're the parent of two young children like I am, you are bound to> find yourself at a Mc's for a kiddie birthday bash featuring plenty of> fast food, sugary cake and a supersized serving of ear-piercing shrieks from> the happy partiers scurrying like amphetamine-fueled lab rats through the> monstrous play-area maze of tubes and slides.> > The last time I played escort for my son and daughter, I decided to bypass> the usual party fare and order my very own adult meal of a premium salad> with chicken and a medium Diet Coke. Let me tell you... That took a lot of> willpower. I love Quarter Pounders with Cheese and full-sugar fountain soda,> so I patted myself on the back and felt like I had learned something during> my six years at eDiets.com.> > What I should have learned was to never trust your instincts when a handy> nutritional menu is readily available.> > Upon my return home I clicked on my computer and typed in www.mcdonalds.com.> Once there I went to their Nutrition offering and made a somewhat shocking> discovery -- a Quarter Pounder with Cheese had fewer calories and fat grams> than my California Cobb Salad with Crispy Chicken and the packet of Newman's> Own Ranch Dressing!> > OK, so I do know better than to order any menu item labeled "crispy" -- it's> typically a buzzword for fried or deep-fried. In fact, if you had read last> week's Worst Food column on The 7 Things To Never Say While Dieting! You> would have learned that very lesson and much, much more.> > OK, back to Mickey D's and me. The Mc's website tells me that a> Quarter Pounder with Cheese packs 510 calories and 25 grams of fat. My salad> had 360 calories and 18 grams of fat BUT the dressing added another 170> calories and 15 grams of fat AND the yummy little packet of croutons tossed> in yet an extra 60 calories and 1 more gram of fat for a grand total of 590> calories and 34 grams of fat!> > Had I opted for the grilled chicken and used just half a pack of the gooey> dressing, I would have slashed my numbers by 165 calories and 14.5 grams of> fat.> > According to a feature I found on MedicineNet.com, the Physicians Committee> for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) recently analyzed a number of fast food> salads.> > "The report's results were quite surprising," the feature notes. "Only two> out of 34 salads received five stars. Most of the salads were no more> healthful than a burger without the bun, dipped in salad dressing. And clear> patterns emerged. Salads that relied on fresh vegetables received top> billing whereas salads heavy with meat, cheese, or dressing fell flat.> > "Most shocking of all, Mc's Crispy Bacon Ranch Salad has more fat and> calories and just as much cholesterol as a Big Mac."> > Now isn't that what Mr. Bad Food just said? Whether you make a salad at home> or choose to drive thru a fast-food joint or sit down to eat it at a family> restaurant that offers the items-packed salad bar, it's up to YOU to raise> the bar on your salads.> > A few quick tips from Mr. Bad Food, a man who's made nearly all the healthy> eating mistakes known to man:> > > Stick with raw veggies and top with GRILLED meats, not FRIED ones.> > Opt for the "lite" dressings. Even then have them "on the side" in little> cups or puddles for dipping. Don't pour your dressing over your Mother> Nature's masterpiece.> > Don't feel obligated to toss on every little extra that you find in your> fast food bag (for instance, the nuts, fried noodles or cheese packets). You> can toss them without committing a cardinal sin.> > Sorry, but Mayo-congealed pasta salads, potato salads, and tuna, chicken or> egg salads are not healthy salads. These salad bar offerings will leave you> with a dietary hangover.> (Psssst! Want to win a free iPod? Click here for the details.)> > OK so the obvious moral of this story is...> > Better Choices Make Better Salads!> > Since Mr. Bad Food is more a professional dieter than a licensed dietitian,> I have turned to eDiets chief nutritionist Burke, MS, RD and my good> buddy Leanne Ely, CNC for more on the matter.> > graciously tossed in her lists of salad dos and don'ts:> > DO...> > 1. Add crunchy vegetables: broccoli, snow peas, carrots, celery.> > 2. Add canned fun: hearts of palm, artichoke hearts, baby corn, water> chestnuts (I keep cans in the refrigerator -- they're really convenient).> > 3. Sprinkle with nuts: they add more crunch, nutrition and flavor. My faves> are almonds, walnuts and roasted sunflower seeds. Avoid oiled and salted> seeds and nuts since they provide too much added fat and sodium.> > 4. Save time with bagged greens: they're fresher, more convenient and I love> the mixed varieties that offer red lettuce, arugala and romaine.> > 5. Make salad a meal by adding a can of salmon or sardines: more timesavers> include canned chicken or turkey breast, and cubed firm tofu.> > 6. Make your own healthy salad dressing: whisk equal parts extra virgin> olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Then for flavor add garlic, a pinch of salt,> and some fresh or dried herbs.> > DON'T...> > 1. Add cheese: youre adding fat and calories; use lean meat or fish to make> the salad healthy instead.> > 2. Add regular salad dressing: just 2 tablespoons adds almost 200 calories> and lots of fat.> > 3. Add croutons... unless you make them yourself! Commercial croutons are> generally high in trans fat. Homemade are healthier and simple to make. Just> cube whole grain bread and toast in a 200-degree oven for half an hour.> Spritz lightly with cooking spray halfway through.> > 4. Add Chinese noodles: I went to s and was disappointed to find their> nice Mandarin chicken salad covered with fat-laden noodles. I wish they had> offered walnuts or slivered almonds instead.> > 5. Eat salad in a taco shell: Just like above, such a "gimmick" adds way too> much fat, sodium and calories.> > OK Leanne, what do you have to add to this salad mix?> > How to Ruin a Perfectly Good Salad> > When it comes to healthy eating, the first thing one thinks of naturally is> increasing ones portions of veggies in the form of a salad. Salads, after> all, are the eighth world wonder when it comes to losing weight and keeping> it off. If we eat a lot of salads, we think to ourselves, the weight will> fall off and a bikini-ready body will emerge in no time at all.> > EEEEEEEERRRRRK! (thats the sound of me putting on the brakes). Before you> toss all your hopes on salads and head to the store for the fixins, lets> quantify that salad (literally and figure-atively) and make sure we have the> understanding of what makes for a healthy, weight-reducing salad.> > To do that, lets belly up to the bar (the salad bar that is) and check the> quick list of my very own DOs and DONTs.> > > DO use a smaller plate to keep your portion under control, pile on the> greens (see below for a guide), look for the lighter dressing (still, go> easy!) and bulk up on the veggies. If this is your main course, go for lean> proteins such as chicken, shrimp or low fat cheeses (if labeled as such).> > DONT pig out on the pasta salad, mayo-laden coleslaw and potato salad,> croutons, bacon bits, cheese, crackers and other things not grown in the> ground.> See how easy that is?> > ).> > In order to avail yourself of the nutrient-rich possibilities of a salad, it> is necessary to understand what constitutes healthy when it comes to salad> making. A pale hunk of iceberg lettuce with a goopy ladle of bleu cheese> dressing doesn't cut it. And yet so many people think because they've eaten> this "salad", they're giving their bodies the nutrition it needs. Not true!> > A good rule of thumb for evaluating a good salad should be COLOR. Color is a> great indicator of what's ahead: good nutrition or near-empty calories. The> more vibrant the color, the healthier it is.> > Let's go back to that iceberg lettuce salad. It's pale green and white. The> iceberg lettuce's value is mostly the water it carries. Fiber is minimal and> nutrition almost non-existent. The bleu cheese is dripping with all kinds of> fat so that X's that off the list immediately.> > Let's do a salad makeover, shall we?> > First of all, you need to choose GREEN. Green like spinach, salad bowl or> romaine lettuces -- all wonderful examples of what green should look like.> The color is there and so is the nutrition.> > Look for RED. Tomatoes come to mind. Vine ripened and full of vitamin C,> tomatoes also contain the important phytochemical lycopene that helps fight> cancer.> > ORANGE or YELLOW? How about some colorful bell pepper or (when in season)> summer squash? Carrots are fantastic sources for beta-carotene, a> pre-vitamin for vitamin A. Beta carotene has so many important functions,> but the best part about beta-carotene is that it will convert into only as> much vitamin A as the body needs so there's no worry about taking in too> much.> > I cant help but push the nutritional envelope hard when it comes to making> salads. Your body needs all these veggies! The reasons for all this green> boils down to the fact that we eat entirely too many cooked foods and rarely> eat anything raw. A salad gives your body the alimentary opportunity to> tackle a raw food and get those important enzymes, vitamins and minerals so> readily available from uncooked produce.> > > _______________________________________________> CyberTOPS -- Where Friends Meet for a "Net Loss"!> CyberTOPS@...> http://www.cybertops.net/index.htm> > __________ NOD32 1.1415 (20060221) Information __________> > This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system.> http://www.eset.com> >