Safe Salad??

You go out to eat and you want to order something that is fairly healthy. So what do you choose? A salad is safe, right? Something called "Chilled Shrimp California Salad" sounds healthy... but is it?? A recent email I got just shocked me again with the fat and calorie content in some of our favorite restaurant salads.... Here were some of the examples: 

Outback Steakhouse Pittsburgh Style Steakhouse Salad = 1,370 calories

Romano's Macaroni Grill Chicken Florentine Salad = 900 calories, 60g fat, and 65g carbs

Applebee's California Shrimp Salad = 1,310 calories

Chili's Quesadilla Explosion Salad = 1,260 calories, 76g fat, and 84g carbs

And here are some other shockers that I searched out for you:

Chili's Grilled Chicken Ceasar Salad with Dressing: 930 Calories; thats more Calories than 12 Breyers Oreo ice cream sandwhiches!

Chili's Boneless Buffalo Chicken Salad: 1070 calories, 78g fat and 4440mg sodium--the same in 77 cups of buttered popcorn!

Quiznos with Chicken and Flatbread Salad: 1110 calories.... and unfortunately most of the salads on the Quiznos menu have more than 1000 calories.

Macaroni Grill's Sea Scallops Salad: 1320 calories & 91 grams of fat. ummmm.... seriously?!

Friday's Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad: 1360 calories....

Its crazy to me that salads have these many calories. Its bad enough that french fries and super sized portions these days are crazy high in fat and calroies, but salad??? Lettuce? Our "safe" food? I think I'd rather eat the 12 ice cream sandwhiches for all those calories... ha! 

The bottom line here is to be careful with salads at restaurants. Here are you safer bets:

-Order dressing on the side, and dip or add a small portion. All of the above macronutrients include the dressing.

-Stick to grilled meat; stay away from the crusted, breaded and fried chicken salads. yes, I know they are yummy, but your waistline will thank you!

-Watch out for the crazy amounts of cheese, hard boiled eggs, bacon, croutons, avocado etc. that they put on salad. 

Here are some of the healthier alternatives available at some restaurants:

Applebees Chili-Lime Salad: only 250 calories and 5g fat

Subway.... turn any sandwhich into a salad! If you choose turkey or roast beef, your salad will only have 120 calories!

Long John Silvers Shrimp & Seafood Salad w/ Fat free french: 380 calories, 16g fat

Chik-Fi-La's Southwest chargrilled Chicken Salad w/ Light Italian dressing: 255 calories

Fazoli's Chicken and Fruit Salad: 245 calories

Lonestar Steakhouse's El Paso Salad w/ Sweet Bourbon Salmon: 200 calories, 9g fat

Panera Bread's half portion of a greek salad: 260 calories, 5g fat

Taco Bell's Fiesta Chicken Salad w/out the Shell: 430 calories, 18g fat (still a bit on the high side for a salad...but its the best they've got!)

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