Restaurant Salads Scare Me
Most of us are aware that salads are not always healthy, and this is especially true for restaurant salads. If by “salad” you mean a small plate of fresh leafy greens, a few slices of tomato, and a drizzling of olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette, then yes, that’s healthy and low calorie.
But “salad” at restaurants often means a huge plate filled with lettuce, croutons, chicken cubes, cheese, and half a cup of full fat dressing. That’s not healthy, and the calorie count for this type of salad can be higher than even the most nutrition savvy among us can imagine.
Case in point: the salads at California Pizza Kitchen, a popular U.S. chain restaurant.
We love eating out at California Pizza kitchen. It’s a family friendly restaurant, definitely a few notches above fast food, service is decent, and the food shows consistent quality. Their pizzas are very good.
On our last visit there I noticed they started providing nutrition information on their menu. I’m guessing they were forced to do that since they’re a chain restaurant, or maybe they started providing the info voluntarily. Either way, looking at the caloric values of the items on their menu is a real eye opener, especially when it comes to salads:
I thought these values were especially interesting compared with caloric values for desserts:
Even when you order half a salad, the Thai Crunch salad still comes to a whopping 1,000 calories – for HALF AN ORDER. The full order is 2100 calories! Keep in mind that the average adult male burns about 2000 calories with normal activity each day and the average female burns about 1600 calories.
The best way to defend your waist and your arteries against these attacks by restaurants is to control your portions – in this case definitely choose half an order, or share a salad with someone. Another great way to handle restaurant salads is to ask for the dressing on the side, since most calories and fat come from that. Also, go over the ingredients and see if there are any fatty ingredients you can live without, then ask to get your salad without them.
I’m not saying you should never indulge. Of course you should. I often do! But restaurant salads are something many people order not to indulge but simply because they are hungry and want to make a better choice. In my opinion, serving them a 2000-calorie salad is atrocious.
Comment of the Day: “The Food Industry has truly made a mess of things” by Patricia of Patricia’s Wisdom. I couldn’t agree more.
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Dr. J responds:
Posted: November 10th, 2009 at 11:20 am →
I feel the same and really am amazed that restaurants can get so many calories into a SALAD! Because of the occasional salad surprise, I now ask what’s in that salad, and adjust the ingredients accordingly. Taking more control in restaurants has given me much better meals, and since I don’t DNA test the food. I’m trusting that the kitchen staff isn’t looking for revenge for my requests. I haven’t died yet, so I guess it’s OK
Davina responds:
Posted: November 10th, 2009 at 12:42 pm →
Hi Vered. The word salad can be very deceiving can’t it?! Aside from the roughage and antioxidants, a burger would be more worth it, wouldn’t it? I say if you’re going to take in that many calories and fat… might as well do it with a juicy succulent burger and cheese.
Els Withers responds:
Posted: November 10th, 2009 at 1:08 pm →
One the other hand… sometimes there are good choices out there. I was pleasantly surprised by some of what I found at the Cheesecake Factory. It’s nice to know I can have the BLT salad without breaking the bank.
But–I agree with Davina–if I’m going to indulge, I’m not eating any goddamn salad.
Kelvin Kao responds:
Posted: November 10th, 2009 at 1:42 pm →
Oh… wow. I knew that restaurant salads might not be that low in calories, but I certainly did not expect some to be that much. I don’t really read these things since I don’t even eat out that much to begin with, but I have gotten McDonald’s and Burger King’s nutrition fact sheets to compare against each other. I think it’s fine to indulge, but just do it while being aware of the possible consequences.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: November 10th, 2009 at 2:44 pm →
Thanks everyone for your comments.
It IS amazing that restaurant manage to stuff so many calories into a salad. And I agree: if I am going to indulge, I won’t be ordering a salad!
Marelisa responds:
Posted: November 10th, 2009 at 3:50 pm →
Hi Vered: The salad dressing is what does me in. I try to just use a little but end up pouring tons of dressing on my salad. Which reminds me, it’s time for my jog.
Patricia responds:
Posted: November 10th, 2009 at 4:11 pm →
I have to be very careful of ordering salad because they often stick things in like bacon and cheese. I always know my salad and ask lots of questions. Besides taking the dressing on the side, I visualize taking 1/2 of it home because the portion size is for a 6′2″ 180 pound young man. Yes! even side salads are set aside for that size male.
The Food Industry has truly made a mess of things and the smart are figuring it out…and retraining their taste buds
RC - Rambling Along... responds:
Posted: November 10th, 2009 at 5:03 pm →
What scares me about this, beyond salads being supposedly the healthier choice, is that an order of McNuggets, from McDonalds, is now the better choice to some degree.
Kim Woodbridge responds:
Posted: November 10th, 2009 at 5:05 pm →
I’ll take 3 desserts instead of the salad
For that many calories I’m not getting a salad. I don’t eat out that often so I wouldn’t order a salad anyway …
Most things you get out have huge portions – it’s best to cut it in half before you even start eating. I find that going out can easily use up my daily allotment of calories.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: November 10th, 2009 at 5:52 pm →
Thanks again for your comments! Patricia, I agree that the food industry has made a big mess out of a fairly straightforward experience. Kim, I’ll have that dessert too.
Barbara Swafford responds:
Posted: November 10th, 2009 at 7:07 pm →
Wow Vered,
The calorie count for those salads is HUGE. For some, that’s more than their normal daily intake, and definitely for those who are dieting to lose weight.
It’s funny how salads got the reputation of being “diet food” and yet, the dessert would be a better choice. All the more reason for buyers to be aware and informed.
P.S. I like how the fast food restaurants are putting the nutritional value on their menus/wrappers/placemats now. Although it may not change the obesity issue here in the States, it is opening the eyes of the consumers. (or at least I hope it is).
Michelle @ Find Your Balance responds:
Posted: November 10th, 2009 at 7:14 pm →
A pet peeve of mine is ‘candied walnuts’ and similar. Why?? If I wanted to eat sugar I’d get dessert! Also, most salad dressings are loaded with sugar and low quality oils. Best bets are to skip the dressing that comes with the salad and choose straight olive oil and fresh lemon juice instead. Also…skip the white flour roll.
Maxo responds:
Posted: November 10th, 2009 at 9:23 pm →
When determining how healthy a meal is for you, looking at calories and fat alone are not sufficient. For example, a glass of most juice will have the same amount of calories, and often more fat than a can of soda. However the juice will also have lots of vitamins and other healthy nutrients. Calories are important if you are trying to lose weight, or prevent weight gain, but they do not indicate your bodies ability to maintain health from the ingested ingredients.
J.D. Meier responds:
Posted: November 11th, 2009 at 12:43 am →
The restaurant salads that scare me the most are ones with bugs in them or where I’ve seen people sneeze at the salad bar. Yuck! Some things are just better not to think about
I guess when we want a lean salad, we just need to order our salads — “lettuce only” or “hold the everything.”
Natural responds:
Posted: November 11th, 2009 at 3:36 am →
hey vered. it’s amazing. you think you are eating healthy because it’s a salad, but one has to be careful about what is in and on that salad. the today show has a segment called eat this not that…forget the guy who wrote the book, but he points out exactly the same thing. be careful, some salads can run you into the thousands of calories. yikes.
i rather eat a calorie filled dessert than a over calorie salad.
Dot responds:
Posted: November 11th, 2009 at 8:31 am →
Salad, yum! Where’s the chocolate sauce, though?
jelveh responds:
Posted: November 11th, 2009 at 9:21 am →
Forget the salad I am having the Sticky Toffee Cake for Dinner…
Carla responds:
Posted: November 11th, 2009 at 10:38 am →
That’s one reason why I avoid chain restaurants (besides the fact that many of them are notorious for their use of MSG). I actually don’t count calories – nutrition is much more important to me. I can make a nut , smoothie with almost or walnuts, maca and fresh coconut and I will be much better off than if I ate some so-called low-fat carby (and sometimes sugary) cereal. Fat and calories alone are not the only factor.
Tess The Bold Life responds:
Posted: November 11th, 2009 at 10:45 am →
Vered,
Thanks for bringing this to our attention. Along time ago I began asking for dressing on the side. One thing the recession is done for us is we’ve cut down on going out to eat and when we do we share! We’ve also lost weight!
Lori Hoeck responds:
Posted: November 11th, 2009 at 10:55 am →
I just ate a Chipolte restaurant for the first time in a long time and had everything put on Romaine instead of into a huge burrito with sour cream and cheese. I like restaurants that allow such flexibility when I want to eat lighter. It’s odd, but my salad dressing of choice at home is soy sauce.
Friar responds:
Posted: November 11th, 2009 at 10:56 am →
I’d order one.
Just because.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: November 11th, 2009 at 12:11 pm →
Maxo, I agree that comparing the salad to the dessert is not really fair because the salad IS more nutritious than the toffee cake. Still, I would like to see them limit their salads to a reasonable amount of calories. I’m sure it can be done with portion control and using reasonable amounts of dressing and cheese.
I also realize that some people would actually complain about the “tiny portions” if they did reduce portion sizes. But I think that the food industry has gotten us into this mess in the first place by gradually increasing portion sizes over the years, and they should be the ones to get us out of this mess by gradually scaling back portion sizes and offering healthy choices.
Maxo responds:
Posted: November 11th, 2009 at 2:55 pm →
I agree. The portions at restaurants can be ridiculous. The shame is that the large portions either cause people to eat more than they usually would, or a lot of food gets thrown away, which contributes to food shortages around the world and global warming.
I think it is Burger King who now offers their “value meals” in small, medium and large. Small, of course, is the old regular size.
I have seen a few restaurants, usually local places, that offer smaller sizes, which to me are just the right amount for a regular sized meal.
Jannie Funster responds:
Posted: November 11th, 2009 at 3:13 pm →
We love the California Pizza Kitchen too, tasty and such friendly service.
Because of my younger years as a calorie and fat gram counting fanatic, I learned early to be wary of dressings, sauces, cheeses and nuts. Still, that Waldorf Chicken Salad and Thai Crunch salad completely floored me with the calorie count. Wow!
And in some restaurants, filling up on all that yummy free bread and whipped butter while you’re waiting for your meal can be hazardous to the waistline too. Macaroni Grill — their bread is so good.
Hayden Tompkins responds:
Posted: November 11th, 2009 at 6:42 pm →
Not that I’m saying that those aren’t calorically off the charts, but it does help to note that those salad portions are usually double or triple what most people actually eat. So Chris and I can split dishes and I don’t feel too awful about them.
Custo Icon Design responds:
Posted: November 12th, 2009 at 2:25 am →
I think salad is very useful thing for human.I used to take after my dinner and lunch.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: November 12th, 2009 at 11:27 am →
Jannie, totally agree on the bread and butter! Really unnecessary, really hard to resist.
The Lawyer Mom responds:
Posted: November 12th, 2009 at 7:20 pm →
Whoa. I never would have guessed they were so chock-full. You’re right. It’s all about portion control, said she who bathes in ranch dressing.
Michele | aka Raw Juice Girl responds:
Posted: November 13th, 2009 at 11:48 pm →
Wow. Thanks for sharing, Vered! I can’t imagine such high numbers for salad. My goodness. What’s wrong with this picture?! LOL
I think I’ll stick to making my own salads at home, with a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime and a drizzle of olive or coconut oil instead of dressing.
Sara responds:
Posted: November 14th, 2009 at 11:51 am →
I was shocked by the Grilled Vegetable Salad…how could be 1021 calories…did I read this wrong? WOW.
As I can seldom eat a big salad, I tend to order half. I think, however, it is important to pay attention to what’s in the salad. I used to think I could eat salad and then a nice big dessert…well, this post sort of blew that idea out the water.
I can’t think of any restaurants in my area that actually list calories or fat. We do ones that have a low-fat or low-cal menu, but it usually so blah that I never want to order it. Fortunately, I don’t go out that frequently.
I do appreciate you bringing this to my attention as I have to be careful about what I eat due my family history of heart issues. So, thank you:~)
Cath Lawson responds:
Posted: November 14th, 2009 at 10:45 pm →
Hi Vered – That is appalling. How on earth do they manage to make a salad so fattening? At home I only have salad with balsamic and olive oil but when I’ve visited the US, I’ve been shocked by some of the fattening things the restaurants call salad. I either avoid them altogether, or ask for a plain green salad with the dressing seperate, so I can put my own on.
apricot’s closet: dark blue. at apricot tea. responds:
Posted: December 1st, 2009 at 12:55 pm →
[...] (of Mom Grind) is petrified of restaurant salads. Why? Because they often have more calories in them than that dessert you passed as being too [...]
Jaka Merriman responds:
Posted: December 1st, 2009 at 1:13 pm →
I’ve always been wary of restaurant salads more elaborate than garden or greek. While they’re usually incredibly tasty, it would have been way more satisfying to have the pasta and/or the cake!