Is Your Salad Making You Fat?

Photo Credit: morgueFile

Salads aren't always healthy.

Sure a bed of greens and chopped vegetables are packed with vitamins and minerals. But, have you ever taken a closer look at all those salad toppings you pile on?

Beware of These 4 Calorie-Heavy Salad Toppings

1. Croutons: These crispy chunks of dried bread add minimal nutrition and lots of calories to your salad. Instead try adding a sprinkle of equally crunchy almonds, walnuts or sunflower seeds to add texture to the salad.
2. Dressing: A drizzle of ranch or dollop of blue cheese dressing is just fine. But when your salad bowl looks like soup, you're simply using too much dressing. Experiment with non-creamy dressings like flavored vinaigrettes if you like a lot of extra added flavor.
3. Cheese: I was shocked when I found out a serving of cheese is the size of two dice. Really? That's tiny! It's easy to sprinkle up to 200 calories and a day's worth of sodium on an entree-size salad without much thought. If you can't part with this dairy topping, opt for lower-sodium cheeses such as whole-milk mozzarella, sliced Swiss and crumbly goat cheese.
4. Dried Fruit: Skip the raisins, dried cherries and dried cranberries preserved with extra sugar. Use fresh whole fruits like sliced grapes, strawberries or pears instead. You'll use less (since the chunks are bigger) and consume fewer calories.

The takeaway? Enjoy anything you want on your salad, but in moderation. If you're going to use half a bottle of dressing or a cup of dried fruit, you might as well skip the salad altogether and just order pizza.

So, what healthy salad toppings do you enjoy?

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

7 Guilt-Free Munchies for Snack Time

Nuts! Photo: SXC

I have the hardest time sticking to a healthy diet when I've got the munchies. I tend to grab whatever is close without thinking about how good (or bad!) it really is for me.

Over the weekend I fell off the healthy-eating cart at a birthday party and ate several handfuls of potato chips. They were greasy, salty--and delicious. Darn it.

OK, to keep me on track, and give you a few ideas, here's seven munchies that won't make you feel guilty later. Remember, the key to any snack is also moderation!

1. Roasted, unsalted nuts. My favorites are almonds and pistachios.
2. A sliced apple topped with natural peanut or almond butter.
3. A banana smoothie. Blend frozen banana slices and soy milk in the blender and sip!
4. Dried fruits processed without sugar. Try raisins, cranberries, papaya or banana chips.
5. A hard-boiled egg.
6. Low-sodium string cheese. Check out the new, weird cheddar/mozzarella twists!
7. Whole-grain pita chips and hummus.

What are your go-to munchies?

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

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