When people go on a diet or are trying to lose weight a lot of people start eating salads for every meal. The use of salads are advocated on television, in magazines, and supported by nutritionists and dieticians. However, the salads people eat most of the time are no better than people’s typical meal.

The typical salad usually lacks a wide variety of nutritional sources. Most salads are strictly mixed greens, some croutons, and a little salad dressing. That kind of salad is primarily carbohydrates with fat. Then there are the people who swear by Caesar salads. Unfortunately that is about the worst kind of salad you could eat. A salad needs to have an adequate amount of protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats to make it a worth while meal. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that because it’s a salad it is automatically good for you. In order to get the necessary protein in a meal, which boosts your metabolism, it is always important to add some sort of meat to the salad. Any kind of meat will work from beef, to salmon, to tuna, or in this case chicken. Another great way to add protein to a salad is to add half a cup of chopped almonds or walnuts. Both nuts have a good amount of protein and essential fats that are extremely important for your overall health. By adding both the nuts and chicken you will be getting two great sources of protein.

The next issue to address when making a salad is your selection of greens. Your typical salad uses mixed greens, which is mostly comprised of lettuce. Unfortunately lettuce doesn’t have a lot of nutritional value, at least compared to some other options. My top choice when making a salad is always baby spinach. Spinach is a great source of iron, calcium, fiber, among many other vitamins and minerals. It has a lot more nutritional value while still avoiding adding too many calories. If you are still caught up in the E. coli scare that recently swept the country a great alternative to spinach is arugula. Arugula has pretty much the same nutritional value as spinach, it is just not as well known. I would always recommend using either of these as the staple when making salads.

The last major issue I have with some salads is the use of salad dressing. Most salads are quite healthy until the addition of the salad dressing. Your typical Caesar dressing has roughly 150 calories in just 2 tablespoons. Watching most people use the dressing I know more than 2 tablespoons are being used. The average French dressing is considerably better with approximately 73 calories per 2 tablespoon. However, salad dressing has no redeeming nutritional qualities. It just adds taste. My recommendation is to start using a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Your typical balsamic vinaigrette has approximately 60 calories per 2 tablespoons. I would also recommend putting the salad dressing in a small container on the side of the salad. When you want some dressing dip your fork into the dressing then into the salad. The surface area of the fork is much less than the spinach so you will get less dressing per bite, which reduces the overall calorie consumption. The only way you can make a salad a little better is to avoid the dressing altogether and add chopped fruit for flavor. Strawberries, oranges, apples, pears, and any other fruit make a great addition to salads.

My biggest recommendation is to always be skeptical of the actual nutritional value of a salad you are ordering from a restaurant. You would be surprised at how bad some salads are for you. Use some of the above recommendations when eating out or when making a salad at home and you will significantly improve the quality of your salads.

Fresh Chicken Salad with Baby Greens

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/4 cup pesto sauce

3 cups mixed baby greens, spinach and arugula

1 medium red bell pepper, sliced

1 small cucumber, sliced

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 pinch salt and pepper to taster

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken breast in the skillet 10 minutes on each side, or until juices run clear. Remove chicken from skillet and shred. Return to skillet, mix in pesto sauce, and continue cooking just sauce is heated through.

Place greens in a bowl, and top with chicken, bell pepper, cucumber, and onion. Drizzle with remaining olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and honey. Season with salt and pepper. Toss, and serve

Makes 4 servings

Approx. Per Serving: 256 calories, 16.2 g total fat, 41 mg cholesterol, 254 mg sodium, 11.2 g carbs, 2.3 fiber, 17.2 g protein.

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