Building a Healthy Low Fat Salad:
- Vary your salad leaves. Iceberg lettuce is, well, crunchy and watery, and that’s about it. Boost your intake of vitamins and minerals with dark-leaf greens. Try peppery arugula or watercress, romaine leaves, baby spinach, mixed spring greens, red-leaf lettuce, mache, radicchio and endive.
- Add beans—black beans, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, white beans and edamame.
- In pasta or rice salads, use whole grains to boost your intake of fiber.
- Try grains such as quinoa, bulgur wheat and couscous(a kind of pasta/grain crossover).
- If you like meat in your salad, choose lean cuts of low sodium deli meats, and grilled or roast chicken and turkey. Use lean Canadian bacon instead of regular bacon.
- Substitute water-based chunk light tuna (the pouch variety is firm and meaty) or salmon for meat, boosting your intake of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
- Use reduced fat cheeses, cottage cheese or even fat-free shredded cheese. Or try strong-flavored cheeses like Gorgonzola or Parmesan, which pack a lot of flavor in small quantities.
- Use a variety of vegetables—shredded cabbage, carrots, zucchini, broccoli or cauliflower florets, tomatoes, celery, asparagus, green beans, red onion, scallions, artichokes, sweet peppers, sliced mushrooms, jicama, cucumber, beets, fennel and eggplant.
- Add fruit—grapes, mandarin oranges, mango, strawberries, blueberries, pear, apples, plums, peaches, nectarines, cantaloupe, watermelon, blackberries. Don’t forget dried fruits such as raisins, cranberries, apricots and cherries.
- If you want eggs in your salad, remove the yolks, or at least half of them.
- Include avocado from time to time. Although it's relatively high in fat (though mostly monounsaturated fat), it’s also packed with nutrients such as magnesium, potassium and vitamin E
- Use nuts occasionally and sparingly. Almonds and walnuts contain heart-healthy fats and add a pleasing crunch and texture to salads
- Make your own croutons using day-old bread sprinkled with dried herbs and baked on a cookie sheet coated with olive oil cooking spray .
- Make your own dressings, especially if you dislike most of the fat-free or low fat bottled varieties. If you have some plain non-fat yogurt, fat free mayonnaise or fat-free sour cream, you have a base for a creamy dressing. Low fat buttermilk is perfect, too. Just add your own herbs, spices and flavorings.
- For vinaigrette dressings, the usual ratio of oil to vinegar is three to one. At the very least, reverse it so you have three parts vinegar to one part oil. Or simply replace some of the oil with water, juice or fat-free broth. Use honey, mustard, garlic, herbs, shallots, ginger or other flavors to add taste and body. If it’s fruitiness you’re after, use a little pureed fruit (raspberries or mango, for instance).
More Low Fat Salad Tips
If speed and convenience are important, buy bagged salad leaves and pre-cut or shredded vegetables. If you choose salad at a restaurant, ask for dressing on the side so you can at least control how much you use. Ask if any reduced fat dressings are available. Some restaurants have them. Choose a basic vinaigrette dressing over a creamy one. And if you opt for salad next time you drive through your local fast-food joint, choose grilled chicken over crispy chicken, and use up to half of the salad dressing pouch. Leave the croutons or crispy noodles pack unopened.Here are some ideas for some delicious low fat salads.
