May Is National Salad Month – Are You Ready?

The Basic Salad – Green and Lean

Your surgeon or nutritionist may have talked to you about building salads. They’re great for main courses if you keep them low-calorie and eat them slowly. The key is to use a foundation of greens since they’re so low in calories. Choose your favorite kind of lettuce, whether Romaine, red leaf, or another kind, or use spinach, baby greens, or spring greens. Be generous!

Then, add the protein. You can keep it as simple as a scoop of canned tuna or a couple ounces of turkey breast. Leftovers are great in salads – when cooking, make an extra chicken breast or turkey burger to add to tomorrow’s salad. Egg whites, beans, low-fat feta or other cheese, and tofu are other easy protein additions.

Next, it’s time to get fun with your salad. Add in whatever vegetables you like, whether it’s traditional tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, and onions or snow peas, bell pepper strips, and carrot slices. A bit of fruit can liven up your salad, so think about berries, diced apple or pear, and mandarin orange segments. Don’t be afraid to experiment with herbs, whether it’s basil, cilantro or even mint. The salad will be a masterpiece, and the variations are unlimited!

Side Salads – Greens and Beyond

A salad doesn’t have to be the centerpiece of your meal. Side salads can be just what the doctor ordered. Have a simple green salad to your protein entrée, and your meal will be bigger with hardly any extra calories. You can have plain lettuce or spinach, or add cucumbers, tomatoes, or onions. As always, watch out for dressings and croutons.

Salads go way beyond greens. You can substitute salads for sides to keep your meal low-calorie but filling. Serve one or two salads next to your grilled chicken, broiled fish, or turkey meatloaf. Instead of mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta, serve three-bean salad, egg salad made with egg whites and Greek yogurt, coleslaw made with light Asian dressing, grilled pepper salad with rosemary, or sugar snap pea with barley and balsamic vinegar.

Here are a few tips.

• Except for greens and other raw veggies, keep your portions small.
  
• Watch for oils in prepared salads like marinated artichoke hearts and marinated mushrooms.
  
• Stay away from calorie disasters, like pasta salad and tuna salad with mayonnaise.
  

Your “side salads” are sides…unless they take the place of main courses. If you’re having tabbouleh with bulgur, three-bean salad, and caprese salad with mozzarella and tomatoes, you’re eating protein, and you’re eating healthy. You’re also eating enough! You don’t need a main course in addition to those nutritious but hefty salads.

Fruit Salad – Something Sweet and Healthy

While we’re on the subject, what about fruit salads? We say…go for it! Better a fruit salad for dessert than an ice cream sundae or a piece of cake. Make your own ambrosia salad with fresh fruit and no sugar added vanilla Greek yogurt, or top your oatmeal with fruit salad instead of brown sugar. You can also get creative and make a side dish such as strawberry, tomato, and cilantro salad.

Warning: you may not be able to handle much fruit if you have gastric bypass or gastric sleeve. Fruit contains sugar, and it can give you dumping syndrome. Ask your doctor, and see what your body can tolerate.

Know the Pitfalls

• What are the differences between a 1,000-calorie salad disaster, and a reasonable weight loss surgery-friendly salad? You can learn to recognize and avoid the ingredients that can wreck your good intentions.
  
• Too much dressing – a quarter-cup can have 300 calories.
  
• Fatty meats, such as bacon, salami, pepperoni, and bologna.
  
• Too much cheese.
  
• Fatty carbs, such as croutons (they’re essentially buttered toast!), chow mein noodles, and crunchy onion rings.
  
• Mayonnaise – avoid traditional pasta, egg, seafood (and crab), and tuna salad, and coleslaw.
  
• Too much dried fruit – it’s healthy but high-calorie and high-sugar. A half-cup of raisins or dried cherries has 260 calories and more sugar than a can of soda. Dumping syndrome, anyone?
  

Learning how to keep those salads nutritious and low-calorie can be a key to your long-lasting weight loss after weight loss surgery. Why not use National Salad Month as an excuse to practice? Buy fresh and interesting greens, and see how you can mix up the add-ons to create delicious salads. You may not even miss the junk food they’re replacing!