What Your Salad Artists Aren't Telling You

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Salads are often seen as the epitome of healthy eating when in fact, every salad has their secrets. Don't be fooled, many of these have more calories than a fast-food burger! Before they become your diet nemesis, find out what you should steer clear of.

Dress me up: Salad dressings often make or break a salad. We compare several common dressings, and included a healthiness rating (out of 3 stars): Caesar Contains: Eggs, cheese & cream Calories in 1 tbsp: 78 Healthiness rating: ★ You should know: Caesar dressings are high in saturated fat and a full plate of Caesar salad would amount to nearly 700 calories. (A big mac has slightly less than 600 calories!) Ranch Contains: Buttermilk, mayonnaise, onion & garlic, herbs Calories in 1 tbsp: 72 Healthiness rating: ★ You should know: While ranch dressing is lower in calories than Caesar, it contains more sodium. Honey mustard Contains: Mustard, honey & vinegar Calories in 1tbsp: 55 Healthiness rating: ★★ You should know: As far as the health-spectrum of dressings go, honey mustard is somewhere in the middle. If you're watching your calories, opt for low-fat or non-fat versions instead. Italian Contains: Oil, lemon juice , water & herbs Calories in 1 tbsp: 43 Healthiness rating: ★★★ You should know: When olive oil is used, Italian dressing is relatively much healthier compared to other dressings. Beware of the saturated fats in the olive oil though! Sweet onion Contains: Onions, vinegar & olive oil Calories in 1tbsp: 40 Healthiness rating: ★★★ You should know: With the flavour hinging largely on the tangy vinegar and the sweetness of the onions, this dressing is largely big on flavour but great for waistlines. You can also opt for the nonfat versions.

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Pseudo salads: These so-called salads are deceptively high in carbs and fat. You don't want to be deceiving yourself with these! Potato salad How bad can these be? You ask. Pretty bad, we say! Potato salads are full of carbs and the creamy dressing does little to salvage this dish. One medium bowl alone goes up to over 700 calories ...Nearly the calories in 1.5 packets of Large McDonald’s fries! Pasta salad If you're opting for the traditional pasta salads with heaps of mayo and processed ingredients, this is a sure-fire way to ruin your healthy streak. Instead, go for multi-grain pastas served with vinaigrette and fresh veggies like carrots, greens and mushrooms. Bad things happen to good people: There are some ingredients that ruin the nutritional value of an entire salad. They are the reason why why you eat bowl after bowl, yet feel nowhere near healthy. These are the 5 worst additions you can include in your salad. (It's okay, we all make mistakes.)

Photo by Fake Ginger

Croutons:
These have no nutritional value and these can add up to a whopping 100-200 calories to your salad (that's gonna take a 2km run to burn off!).

Replace with: Chopped nuts for an added crunch

Photo by American C.H.E.F. Consulting

Iceberg lettuce:
You'd want to know that these have virtually no nutritional value beyond being a source of water.

Replace with: Spinach, watercress, Romaine lettuce

Photo by Walmart

Fried meats & salami:
No surprise here, anything with fried (or crispy!) meat is really bad for you! Processed meats (i.e. salami) also add preservatives AND saturated fat to your salad.

Replace with: Grilled chicken, water-packed tuna

Photo by The Daily Green

Processed cheeses:
We love cheese and we know you do too. However, processed cheeses (yellow American cheese) add unnecessary sodium, calories and artificial colorings in your salad.

Replace with: Feta, grated parmesan

Photo by Rhodes Food Group

Canned fruit:
Yes, we know mum said to eat your fruits. However, canned fruits are high in sugar as they are packaged in heavy syrup. Not the best idea.

Replace with: Fresh ones, of course! Fresh fruits can also provide a nice crunch to the salad texture.

In conclusion While salads can be an alternative to greasy and calorie-laden meals, the ingredients and the dressing make the salad. Low in fat doesn't necessarily have to equate to zero flavour! Similarly, just because a salad dressing looks healthy, it may just prove to be deceptively the opposite. Salad dressing photo from The Olive Press Want more? Check out other health related articles: Snack Without Getting Fat Guilt-Free Frozen Desserts In Singapore Gelato Vs Ice Cream Vs Sorbet: Who's who?Top 10 Vegetarian Places In Singapore See also: 10 places to eat clean Find the best restaurants to suit your diet