Best and Worst Fast Food Salads

Walking into a fast food place and ordering just any salads are loaded with hidden calories like fried croutons, creamy dressings or full-fat cheese.

It is not easy to find out the calorie content of salads. However an easy rule of thumb is to avoid creamy dressings. Ask for more salad/veggies and get rid of the fried croutons and cheese.

According to some nutritionist, the following are the best and worst salads you can order at your favorite fast food joint.

You should go for:

Pizza Hut – Fresh garden salad (vegetarian)

Corn, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, pickled cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, bell peppers, and red cabbage with Italian herb dressing. Toppings of garlic croutons, Pico de Gallo and parsley. Make it even healthier by skipping the croutons.

KFC – Corn on the cob (vegetarian)

Corn with butter, lemon and chili seasoning. Energy 89 kcal, protein 3 gm, carb 15 gm, totals fat 2 gm.

Ask for corn without butter:

Subway – Chicken tikka salad

Chicken tikka, vegetables and sauce. 132caloties, 99 per cent fat free.

Subway – Veggie delight salad (vegetarian)

Vegetables and sauce. 52 calories, 99.7 per cent fat free.

You should avoid:

Pizza Hut – Pasta mint (vegetarian)

Macaroni, mint, pineapple, black olives, cherry tomatoes, lettuce and bell peppers with Italian herb dressing. White pasta is simple carbs with no fiber.

KFC – Cole slaw (vegetarian)

Mixed vegetables with mayonnaise dressing. Energy 131 kcal, protein 2 gm, carb 7gm, total fat11 gm. Mayo is high in calories and cholesterol.

Subway – Chicken teriyaki salad

Chicken, vegetables and sauce. 144 calories, 99.6 per cent fat free.

Subway – Veg shammi salad (vegetarian)

Soya bean nuggets, vegetables and sauce. 173 calories, 98.7 per cent fat free.

Vinaigrette dressing:

This goes very well with an Italian pasta salad.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic (grated)
• ½ tbsp red pepper
• ¼ tbsp black pepper powder
• ½ tbsp dry basil or 1 tbsp freshly chopped basil
• ¼ tsp sugar (powdered)
• Juice of ½ a lemon
• Salt to taste

Method:

Mix all the ingredients in a bottle and shake well to make a thick dressing.

Tip: To get a good texture and uniform mixing for salad dressings, put the ingredients in a bottle and shake well instead of just mixing it in a bowl.