"Don't sabotage your salad!"

This short article made me laugh because I am guilty of all of the No-No's that "sabotage my salad" i.e. make it less healthy.

Here is a list of some things to avoid at the salad bar:

• Skip fatty toppings like cheese, bacon, nuts, and seeds.
• Use less salad dressing.
• At the salad bar, pass up high-calorie add-ons like coleslaw, potato salad, and creamy fruit salad.

Here are some of the recommended practices:

• Choose a variety of fresh, colorful vegetables at their peak flavor, like dark green kale, red bell peppers, orange carrots, and red onions.
• 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 i.e. as a substitute for salad dressing
• Add variety to your salad with high-fiber, lower calorie items like beans, raw vegetables, and fresh and dried fruit.

The take-home lesson is to avoid high-calorie items, and to opt for a diversity of vegetables and fruits (different colors, textures, nutrients). I am pretty good about sampling each of the offerings at a salad bar, but then I sabotage the result by loading up on ham, eggs, and potato salad (Figure 1). Well do as I say and not as I do and try to make your salad as healthy as possible!

Figure 1. My typical salad. What am I doing wrong?