Treacherous salads: discover their hidden calories!

The queen of calories: Russian salad

We know that it is a very appetizing dish now that the heat arrives but the mayonnaise makes this dish, everything, except something light. You'll be putting around 569 kcal per serving into your body .

Do you feel like it a lot, a lot? Dare with our guilt-free Russian salad.

Be careful with the caesar salad

This salad has romaine lettuce, pieces of fried bread, chicken (often battered), Parmesan cheese and a delicious (albeit caloric) sauce based on garlic, oil, mustard, honey, Parmesan, egg, salt and anchovies. All this turns your "light salad" into a 519 kcal dish .

Caloric Rainbow: Caprese Salad

The recipe is simple: tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, basil, oregano, balsamic vinegar, salt and oil. This refreshing dish will give you about 470 kcal.

With fruit: waldorf salad

Don't be fooled, even if you're having a waldorf salad, no, it doesn't count as fruit. This salad with lettuce, celery, apple, walnuts, pine nuts, raisins and chicken is dressed with a sauce with Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, lemon, cream or heavy cream and sugar or honey. You will imagine that, light, light, this dish is not. You will be taking about 434 kcal .

Color (and few calories) on your plate: Greek salad

The Greek is a complete salad and perfect for the summer. You will need ripe tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, black olives, feta cheese, oil, salt, and oregano. A plate will give you around 250 kcal.

The Light Queen: Green Salad

Its own name already indicates it, the green salad is green. Or, if you prefer, semi green, if you use mezclum. To give it more flavor, prepare a dressing based on orange juice, lemon juice, water and olive oil and you will only be taking 181 kcal .

What does the perfect salad look like? Although it may seem easy, it is not. If you want a light salad, you must take into account all the ingredients and the dressing. Overdoing it with oil or overdoing it with packaged sauces can turn a simple salad into a time bomb. Or, choosing just four pieces of lettuce will leave you hungry and indulge in uncontrolled snacking.

In the gallery you will find the calories that are hidden in the most common types of salad. In addition, we leave you some tips below so that you can enjoy this dish, in the healthiest way possible and without losing an iota of flavor.

Not all salads are the same

You tell yourself that you are going to eat only one salad to lose weight, but which one? As you have seen in the gallery, you can have a green of only 181 calories or a Russian that reaches 569 calories. The difference is expensive. A salad can be a light option or have even more calories than a full cheeseburger, depending on the ingredients and the dressing you put on it. Be careful with the dressing! Each tablespoon of oil –be it olive, sunflower, corn …– is 90 kcal. Better to measure the quantity before dressing.

Best romaine lettuce

When the base of the salad is to be lettuce, preferably use romaine instead of iceberg, since it contains more water and will fill you up less time. In addition, romaine lettuce provides more vitamin A - much of it in the form of beta-carotene, associated with the prevention of certain types of cancer such as breast and ovarian cancers - and vitamin K - necessary for blood clotting. Romaine, like spinach and arugula, is also richer in folate, a B-complex vitamin that reduces the risk of colorectal, ovarian and breast cancer.

Fiber and protein: add legumes

According to Obesity magazine, taking legumes increases the feeling of fullness by 31%. And its carbohydrates are slowly absorbed, so hunger takes longer to appear. In addition, the Harvard School of Public Health (USA) ensures that eating legumes at least twice a week reduces the chances of breast cancer by 24%. And it also lowers "bad" cholesterol.

With citrus peel

Adding a little orange or lemon zest to the salad will not only give it a special touch of flavor and aroma, but you will also be protecting yourself from skin cancer. According to a study by the University of Arizona (USA), taking a tablespoon of lemon zest a week can reduce the risk of developing this skin disease by 30%.

Fresh fruit instead of raisins

Raisins or dried cranberries are two frequent options when we want to give a sweet touch to salads. They are delicious, yes, but with half a cup you are adding 40 g of sugar. On the other hand, if you incorporate fresh fruit, such as half a cup of grapes or pomegranate, you will only be adding 12 g of sugar to the plate. Worth it.

Kale, also raw

This kale is low in calories, but very rich in fiber, iron, calcium, antioxidants, and anti-cancer substances. The more you cook it, the more nutrients it loses. So why not add it to your salads? Brush the leaves with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice and salt to reduce their bitterness.

Egg, ally of vegetables

For your salad to be a complete and more filling dish, you must include proteins that are low in fat. You have many options: boiled egg, grilled chicken cubes, canned tuna, ham cubes … However, the egg has an added advantage. According to research by Purdue University (USA), the fat in the yolk helps absorb between 3 and 8 times more carotenoids from vegetables, antioxidants that help reduce the risk of some eye diseases and certain types of cancer.

Satiating cereal: With quinoa, less hunger

Adding cereals (rice, Bulgarian, couscous …) is a safe bet for salads to fill you up. And if you use them in the integral version, you will last even longer without hunger. One of the most satisfying cereals is quinoa, since its protein content is much higher than that of other cereals. A cup of cooked quinoa provides around 10 g of protein.

Say yes to avocado

An investigation by the University of Ohio (USA) observed that adding avocado to salad our body absorbs much more carotenoids (present in yellow, orange and red vegetables), which prevent cancer. Besides, it is rich in monounsaturated fats, which reduce "bad" cholesterol and have a satiating effect. Of course, a quarter of a piece is enough per serving.

Cottage cheese

Cheese provides protein and calcium. The cottage in particular is highly recommended because it is a light fresh cheese rich in casein, a type of protein that the body digests more slowly, so it satisfies longer. And thanks to its creamy texture, you can even save yourself the dressing.

And if you want more ideas, don't miss our easy, quick and … delicious salad recipes!