How Healthy Is Your Salad?

By Stacy SimonSalad is a healthy choice for lunch or dinner, isn’t it? That depends on what’s in it, or perhaps more importantly, what’s on it. Dressing, cheese, and bacon add calories and fat that can sabotage your healthy eating plans. Follow these tips to keep your salads healthy without sacrificing flavor.Choose a variety of fresh, colorful vegetables at their peak flavor, like dark green kale, red bell peppers, orange carrots, and red onions.Skip fatty toppings like cheese, bacon, nuts, and seeds. If you must indulge, use only a little.Use less salad dressing. In restaurants, ask for the dressing on the side. Try adding it with a fork instead of a spoon.Experiment with parsley, garlic, oregano, basil, chives, rosemary, thyme, and other herbs; sprinkle them on your salad or add them to a simple vinaigrette made with olive oil.At the salad bar, pass up high-calorie add-ons like coleslaw, potato salad, and creamy fruit salad.Add variety to your salad with high-fiber, lower calorie items like beans, raw vegetables, and fresh and dried fruit.Get inspired with more healthy recipes from the American Cancer Society.Reviewed by: Members of the ACS Medical Content Staff ACS News Center stories are provided as a source of cancer-related news and are not intended to be used as press releases. For reprint requests, please contact [e-mail].

Source: American Cancer Society :: News and Features - August 9, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: Diet/Exercise/Weight Source Type: news