2009.10.13
Top 10 most fattening salads
When you're on a diet like me, you tend toward the salad side of the menu in an effort to stay virtuous. But it's important to remember that many of those salads contain as many fat grams and calories as burgers, sandwiches or entrees. Some contain a full day's worth of those values, or more! It can be very deceiving. Fortunately, we are intelligent people who understand that fried things, cheese and full-fat dressings (like my very favorite, bleu cheese, waaaaaah!) pack a fatty punch.
From Sparkpeople.com, a great weight-loss Web site I learned about at the YMCA, comes this list of the most fattening restaurant salads. We don't even have some of these restaurants in Roanoke, so that saves us the temptation:
10. Romano's Macaroni Grill Chicken Florentine Salad – 1,020 calories/17 grams fat/2,830 mg sodium
9. Quiznos Chicken Caesar Flatbread Salad – 1,020 calories/69 grams fat/2,120 mg sodium
8. Quiznos Roasted Chicken Flatbread Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing – 1,070 calories/71 grams fat/1,770 mg sodium
7. Chili's Boneless Buffalo Chicken Salad – 1,070 calories/77 grams fat/4,380 mg sodium
6. Chili's Southwestern Cobb Salad – 1,080 calories/71 grams/2,650 mg sodium
5. Ruby Tuesday's Carolina Chicken Salad – 1,129 calories/71 grams fat
4. Baja Fresh Charbroiled Steak Tostada Salad – 1,230 calories/63 grams fat/2,380 mg sodium
3. Chili's Quesadilla Explosion Salad – 1,390 calories/89 grams fat/2,710 mg sodium
2. Chevy's Fresh Mex Grilled Fajita Salad made with Chicken, Carnitas, Shrimp or Steak - 1,450-1,620 calories/27-37 grams fat/1,570-2,530 mg sodium
And the worst restaurant salad you may be eating is...
1. Chevy's Fresh Mex Tostada Salad with Chicken, Carnitas or Steak - 1,550-1,720 calories/37-47 grams fat/2,480-3,310 mg sodium
Source: Sparkpeople.com
The sodium content is freaky!
Comment by Kathy — October 13, 2009 @ 10:48 am
Ahhh, Chevy's Fresh Mex! They may have fattening salads, but boy is that a good place for a drink and a meal! They have margaritas as big as your head! And the food is awesome! We went to one at the Arundel (sp?) Mills Mall in MD near BWI. Would love to have one here! (PS: That mall is about half the size of Salem!)
Comment by Dennis — October 13, 2009 @ 11:30 am
I know, the sodium in some of them is enough to bloat a person up like a toad. Dennis, that does sound like a fun chain restaurant to visit. I wouldn't mind having something like a Chevy's or a Chili's around here. I used to love Abuelo's but the last time we went, both the food and service were very disappointing.
Comment by Lindsey Nair — October 13, 2009 @ 11:56 am
Lindsey
You can have your favorite bleu cheese dressing on salads if you use an old Weight Watchers trick. Get the dressing on the side. With each bite, dip your fork into the dressing, then into the salad. Try it!
Comment by Pat — October 13, 2009 @ 1:35 pm
That is a good one, Pat! I actually tried that just the other day. But not yet with bleu cheese. I'll have to do that soon. I love it.
Comment by Lindsey Nair — October 13, 2009 @ 1:51 pm
How about the (fabulous!) Cobb salad at Wildflour? Or the chicken tender salad at Shakers. It would be interesting to know the (estimated) nutritional information of some popular salads at local restaurants.
Comment by Jill — October 14, 2009 @ 6:46 am
Jill,
I did a story back near Christmas 2008 about naughty vs. nice mall food options. It had some nutritional values for foods at restaurants near Valley View. Here is the link: http://www.roanoke.com/extra/wb/185723
Many restaurants post nutritional info on their Web sites, but mostly chains.
Comment by Lindsey Nair — October 14, 2009 @ 10:43 am
NO -- Not the Quesadilla Explosion salad!!! This is deeply upsetting.
Comment by Kate — October 14, 2009 @ 11:44 am