A bowl of salad seems to be absolutely mandatory in any weight loss diet and it makes complete sense too because salads usually means you are getting your daily recommended servings of veggies. Salads are also considered a foolproof way to get loads of nutrition without going into a calorie surplus because a plate or bowl of salad would help cut down calories, boost metabolism, provide ample nutrition, and keep you satiated for long, boosting weight loss – provided, it’s done the right way. Salads are often termed as a healthy option, but certain mistakes can tip it towards the unhealthier side. If you are someone who is particularly trying to lose weight, make sure your salad is absolutely healthy and clean, has these 17 Best Salad Ingredients for Weight Loss. Additionally, here are some salad mistakes you should avoid to lose weight.
1. Don’t Get your Plate of Salad from Fast Food Joints: The salad plates from most fast food joints that offer burgers and French fries on their menu may not as healthy as you think. The biggest issue with these salads are that they are whipped up with calorie-dense dressings, sauces with added artificial colors and flavours, and the addition of processed meat makes it a wrong choice to order off the menu.
2. Adding Unhealthy Sauces: Okay, so the thought of eating a bland bowl of salad day in and day out to lose weight would seem like a task, and that’s when you might think of adding flavour by drenching the veggies with unhealthy sauces purchased from the store. This may prove counterproductive if you are trying to lose weight because these dressings pump in loads of calories, pushing you out of calorie deficit. So, whip up your own dressings and avoid store-bought ones.
3. Not Enough Veggies: So, there’s only lettuce and cucumber to represent veggies in your salad bowl. The whole concept of salads is to get nutrients, antioxidants, etc. from veggies, so do not compromise on them – try to include cucumber, carrots, tomato, lettuce, cabbage, peppers, beetroot in different combinations to get good servings of these nutrient powerhouses.
4. Not Washing Leafy Greens Properly: Leafy greens should be washed properly and dried sufficiently to remove pesticides and other herbicides. Contaminated leafy greens have been found to cause food poisoning, so better be safe than sorry.
5. Adding Croutons to Add Texture to the Salads: Croutons can add empty calories to your otherwise healthy plate of salad. They are mostly made of refined carbs – one of the main things you should stay away when trying to lose weight.
6. No Protein Factor: This macronutrient helps the body burn more calories, keeps you full for longer, in addition to boosting metabolism. With the addition of protein, salads get an additional dose of nutrition value. Vegetarians can add hummus, boiled beans, quinoa, cottage cheese to get protein and non-vegetarians can always add eggs, chicken, tuna, etc. Check out this list of “15 Food Sources of Lean Protein that Can Help with Weight Loss.”
7. Too Much Protein: We have waxed eloquently about the importance of protein while trying to lose weight, but please don’t overdo protein because excess and extra protein gets converted to fat, and that’s not what we want!
8. Don’t Drench your Veggies in Dressings, Creamy Sauces, and Vinaigrettes: High in sugar, salt, artificial flavours, these dressings and sauces can take away the “healthy” factor from your salads. Also, most creamy sauces are high in saturated fat, and can make one gain weight. Avoid these additions or use them in moderation.
9. Not Adding Healthy Fats: Healthy fats help burn fat, reduce inflammation, keeps one fuller for longer, and are necessary for the absorption of vitamins and fat soluble antioxidants. Without healthy fats, antioxidants from the veggies are not absorbed as efficiently by the body. Also, healthy fats from olive oil, nuts, etc., make your salad tastier, healthier, and flavourful.
10. Adding Store-Bought Mayonnaise: Loads of calories can make their way into your body when you add spoonfuls of mayonnaise (made largely from vegetable oils).
11. Avoid Processed Meat: These are prepared using adding preservatives, high amount of sugar, and even transfat, so it’s better to skip them in salads.
12. Skipping Natural Herbs: Adding natural herbs helps to increase the antioxidant intake and boost metabolism. Herbs such as oregano, parsley, mint, ginger, can add loads of flavour as well as burn extra calories.
Summing up, though salads help boost the whole weight loss process, but to lose weight successfully, you absolutely need to follow an effective weight loss diet such as on Rati Beauty app. Download the Rati beauty app for more details.
17 Best Salad Ingredients for Weight Loss
15 Food Sources of Lean Protein that Can Help with Weight Loss
