Salad Adventures 102: Choosing the Best Salad for You- Part 2. Graehm Gray
Hello my fans and welcome to Salad Adventures 102- the second part of how to make the best salad choice. I know it seems easy. Just choose the lettuce, throw in a few tomatoes and bing badda bing, you are done. Well, it doesn’t stop there. What about the peppers, or the radishes or the cucumbers? What color tomatoes should you use? Which lettuce- the Romaine or the Radicchio? Do I add grilled chicken or maybe sliced steak? What dressing do I use? You can see the choices and options are endless. And if you are at a salad bar with people behind you waiting for you to make your choices, the pressure is on!
The most important guide to choosing a salad is to keep it healthy and eat the best in each class. Forget the fried anything’s! Grilled chicken is fine- fried is not!! Most salad croutons (you know those crunchy and sometimes soggy pieces of bread that they throw on Caesar and other salads) are baked and fried in oil- so you don’t need those extra carb and fat calories- so forget them. Fresh fruit and dried fruits provide natural sugar sweeteners, fiber, vitamins and antioxidants and are okay in moderation. Just remember that even though they are healthy and natural by themselves, fruit (fresh or dried) still counts for carbohydrate calories and content in the total scheme of things. Shredded coconut should also be considered in the same way- a natural fruit that has sugar, fats, fiber and vitamins but also carb and fat calories. And please, forget the marshmallows, candied nuts and whip cream. They don’t belong in a salad and are simply not healthy or good for you.
So here are Salad Adventures: 102-some final points on what to choose for your salad and how much you should put on your plate!
12. Can I pick the cherry tomatoes? Yes you can! Tomatoes are really a delicious fruit. Mostly red, they could be a variety of colors including purple, brown, green, purple and pink. And as far as shapes, they could be in the shape of a plum, or as small as a grape or kidney shaped and large which is called a beefsteak. Tomatoes contain a powerful antioxidant and phytochemical called lycopene which is the pigment that makes tomatoes red. Tomatoes are low in calories and also contain potassium, iron, vitamins B, C and A , the pigment antioxidant anthocyanin and together with lycopene have been show to also prevent prostate, breast, head and neck cancers as well as have protective effects against aging, neurological diseases and diabetes. So a big yes for the tomatoes! An interesting factoid is that sometimes the tomato sauce on pizza is the only way kids get their source of lycopene! Just remember that when you order your pizza pie!
13. Can I add a few hard boiled eggs to my salad creation? As an egg lover too, my answer is yes. For many years this wonderful creation has been maligned. I am here to say now and forever- eggs are good for you – but in moderation like anything else. From caviar to good old scrambled eggs, we have consumed this protein source in many varieties for thousands of years. What is the healthiest cooking method for eggs? Well let me start from the other end of the spectrum. Frying an egg exposes the egg yolk to heat and a process called oxidation (think of oxygen attacking). Oxidation and heat transforms the cholesterol in the egg into a bad form of cholesterol that can cause the buildup of fat and blockages in the arteries of the body (and the heart)! Too much of this oxidative cholesterol is not good for you. So the best ways to eat eggs are without breaking the yolk and that is by boiling, poaching and limited over easy. Okay-so what do eggs have that makes them special? Are you ready? Let’s talk vitamins: A, E, B-6, B-12 and Folate. What else? Well we get phosphatidylcholine, a substance that prevents memory loss, and also prevents cholesterol from entering the bloodstream; lecithin-a phospholipid that is an element needed by every cell in your body-eggs are a major source of lecithin. Lecithin actually reduces cholesterol absorption in the body! We also can get a B vitamin called biotin. Biotin helps everything from hair growth to keeping a steady blood sugar level. It is super important! Let’s not forget the egg white. Made up of mostly water and protein with small amounts of minerals, fat, vitamins and sugar, egg white were considered the main staple on a heart wise (low fat, good protein source) diet. Body builders and athletes were and are big users of egg whites (it is a low carb, low fat, and high protein source). And it became a big “heart healthy” menu item at restaurants. So my friends- yes, put a few hard boiled eggs on that salad. Add the eggs-okay! Does that answer your question?
14. Portion distortion! The salad bar says unlimited-how many plates of salad can I eat? Well if you bring the offensive and defensive line players from any college and or professional football teams, the unlimited salad bar will vanish quickly. These players are consuming several thousand calories more than non football players. Several plates of salad in addition to their main courses will be the norm. For everyone else, we all must be concerned with portion size. Remember the equation: calories in and calories out. It’s all a matter of balance. If you eat a delicious and colorful plate full of salad with all its healthy items and use a dip and taste salad dressing, it’s not difficult to come up with a 500 calorie total! What! Yes, even though each and every item may have great healthy benefits, that dish of nature still winds up in the body’s calorie bank. And at the end of the day it’s the total calorie counts that matter for weight control. Of course 500 calories of a healthy salad is better for your health than 500 calories of a high fat, highly sweetened and salted ice cream for example. But my friends, calories are calories and it’s the total amounts that effect weight control. Health benefits of a diet are usually different than the weight control benefits! So if you are on a 1500 calorie diet, divided into three meals a day, the total for each meal will be 500. If that 500 calorie salad can be used to satisfy a meal on that particular diet- then that’s great. But if that 500 calorie salad is just an accessory to the meal which could include an appetizer (e.g. soup), main course and dessert, you are in trouble. So it is a matter of balance. Remember my friend’s, even if foods are “healthy”, they still have calories. Tofu is from soybeans (a plant protein) and is 4 calories per gram. A piece of lean chicken (a poultry protein) is 4 calories per gram and a piece of steak is also 4 calories per gram. So please remember, all foods have a calorie cost. And supersize portions contain supersize calories.
Final study notes:
A. Be careful with salad bars that have unlimited access. We always eat more when it says “all you can eat!”
B. Even foods that have lots of “health” benefits (e.g. vegetables) have calories
C. Supersize portions have supersize calories counts
D. Always eat the best food in each class
E. Eggs have many health benefits in the yolk and white portion. Because of its higher fat content, some people with cholesterol problems need to be careful how many egg yolks per day they should eat.
F. Tomatoes are really a fruit, with lots of varieties, delicious flavor and healthy antioxidants and vitamins and are a terrific addition to any salad.
G. Always discuss nutrition and fitness with your medical provider before starting a diet or physical fitness activity.
H. Avoid all nuts if you are allergic. And remember, many food items are made in factories that have or use nuts so be careful.
My friends, this is your call to duty- have a salad today and have one every day! We all need to eat more of a plant based diet. It’s healthier for us. So be creative. Even people that are essentially “meat and potato” eaters will perk up when they see some sliced grilled chicken on top of a bowl of greens. There are so many wonderful things to add to your salad that will make it a taste sensation.
Ok class, are you ready for your final exam?
Stay fit and healthy The Nerdel Way!
Links:
1. Salad Adventures 101: Choosing The Best Salad For You: www.nerdel.com/blog
2. Dietary Guidelines For Americans 2010: www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/dietaryguidelines2010.pdf
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