Salad Bar Trickery

A salad bar can get you in trouble. Yes. In. Trouble.

For a slight recap see: Spring 2013 Food Challenge

This news is music to the ears of those who do not like vegetables. But, no so fast! Do not get overly excited. It is by far the nutritional value that gets you in trouble. It is, in fact, the monetary value that gets you in trouble. Now, purchasing or making salads are still a necessity; so do not think for a second that the excuse for excluding them has arrived. The news here is only a precaution.

Picture yourself after a nice workout and you wish to get a nice salad with some green assortment and other good vittles. Then, you realize that your salad costs more than any other item you have purchased within the past three times or more in which you have traveled to the grocery store.

1) Watch the heavy additions: Wetness can add up - items with sauce weigh more, so pick them sparingly. Big things are never light - it sounds obvious because it is obvious. Yum, a cut of chicken breast is in the salad bar. It amounts. Leaves - are light, plentiful, and cheaper - arugula, spinach, lettuce (sigh), and kale at salad bars are great. Other greenery - can be costly such as celery and cucumbers. But, please experiment with all of these foods because they are healthy.

2) Eat well: Rewarding yourself at the salad bar is great. However, do not simply go to the salad bar for the sake of going to the salad bar. For example, a salad that has bacon bits, croutons, tuna, beets, bacon bits, croutons, and ranch dressing is not a bona fide green salad. I used to love bacon bits so much that I ate them like chips. Now, bacon bits are automatically foreign in this respect.

3) Ask yourself, "Can I make that at home?" - Like quinoa and chickpea mixes, which are heavy. They are most likely cheaper when bought in a package and made at home, as they can be used for other meals. Can you make a scrumptious and cheaper salad at home? Yes. Do you really need heavy dressing that can be costly? No. Can you make light dressing? Yes.

Reward yourself. But, keep a proportional lid on some salad bar items if your pockets are crunched. Bon appetite!

Purpose and Development,
Derek

Derek Arledge, CSCS        TEEM Performance Training        www.teempt.com