Mama Mia Munch-Monster Monday

It’s summer.  You’re trying to make lighter, more healthful meal choices.  So what’s better than a good salad, right?  WRONG!  That is, if you pay attention to what the “Eat This, Not That” section of www.menshealth.com tells us!  In their most recent article they list “7 Salads You Should Never Eat!” and two nearly knocked me off my chair.

The first was one that I’ve actually ordered way long ago at my last visit to Applebee’s.  It’s their Pecan-Crusted Chicken Salad, and it’s a whopping 1,360 calories with 80 grams of fat!  Wait a minute… isn’t this a SALAD?  Honestly, for that amount of calories I want something with fudge, brownies, wet walnuts and dripping with chocolate marshmallow ice cream and whipped cream!  Okay, now you know my secret – if I’m gonna indulge, it must satisfy my never-ending Grand Canyon-sized sweet tooth.  But seriously, 1,360 calories for a salad???  Here’s what the wrote:

Nuts can be a great salad topping, but because they’re calorie-dense, they should be applied judiciously. Applebee’s does not adhere to this advice. With this salad, the chain adds both crushed nuts and sugar-coated pecans. In addition, it adds deep-fried chicken and fat-heavy bleu cheese dressing. The total damage is more than a full day’s recommended fat intake and 117 grams of carbohydrates. You’d have to be nuts to eat that.

The recommend the Seasonal Berry and Spinach Salad (with chicken) instead, coming in at 620 calories.  Still a bit high for one meal, but much lower than the damage from the aforementioned calorie monster.

But the mother of all bad salads is from (no big surprise here) comes from the Cheesecake Factory.  It’s their Santa Fe Chicken Salad, and it is more than most folks daily calorie allotment – sitting down?  Got your seat belt on?  1,720 calories – holy guacamole, Batman!  If you’re bound and determined to eat there (and honestly, I can’t imagine any reason on earth why anyone would step foot inside the Cheesecake Factory to begin with), go with the Skinnylicious spicy chicken salad instead at 440 calories.  Here’s what they say about this reDUNKulous calorie-laden meal:

Tex-Mex salad iterations are rarely light, what with all the sour cream, guacamole, and creamy dressings. But wait—this salad can’t claim any of those usual culprits! The only two potentially troublesome toppings are cheese and tortilla strips, but how much damage could they possibly do? Well, based on these numbers—and the fact that their inclusion appears to be the main difference between the Santa Fe and the Skinnylicious salad below—a lot. Order accordingly.

Better on your budget and your body to make and eat your summer salads at home!  Exercise your “make it skinny” salad muscles and whip up some delicious and low-cal salads in your own kitchen this week!  And if you do venture out to your favorite eatery, be sure to Google up their menu and nutritional information beforehand - know your options so you can make the best choices.  You'll feel much better when you slip into that bathing suit or shorts and sleeveless top -- remember, a moment on the lips, forever on the hips!

Don't just dream it - BEGIN IT!!!

HEY! Instead of wasting away the summer down time just lying around at the beach reading some mind-melting novel, why not invest the time in yourself and your future?  Make this summer YOUR summer improvement plan and let me help you -- coaching can be done by telephone anywhere at all!  Imagine what you could accomplish this summer - start TODAY by calling or email me! Choose to make your future could be so bright that you'll need new shades!!!

You can find this article online at: http://eatthis.menshealth.com/slideshow/7-salads-you-should-never-eat

Blessings,

Coach Linda

609-331-9833

linda@coachlindabush.com

Wellness & Life Transformation