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Dress down that salad

Make sure that vegetables get the top billing in your salads

CRISPY Salads are low in calories

Good for you! You're going to order a salad. Whether you're trying to cut calories to lose weight or add a few more nutrient-rich vegetables to your diet, you are headed in the right direction. But, when dining out, watch out for salads that are the healthy menu version of a wolf in sheep's clothing. Make sure that vegetables get the top billing and aren't pushed to a secondary role, with heavyweights such as cheese, egg, meat, fried croutons and salad dressing grabbing all the attention. (How did those crunchy Chinese noodles become part of the salad world anyway?)

Garden greens

Here are some vital statistics on salad staples to help you choose from toppings that restaurants offer. Eat freely from this garden: lettuce, spinach, watercress, cucumber, green peppers, broccoli, celery, sprouts, cabbage and radishes. They rack up only 25 calories a cup. Vegetables such as artichokes, tomatoes, beets, carrots and onions are perfectly acceptable additions at 50 calories a cup.

How much chopped onion do you need anyway? Consider the simple garden salad. It's better if it's more complex. More veggie variety in the bowl ups your consumption of a greater variety of vitamins and other plant nutrients. The trouble starts when salad recipes are dolled up with ingredients not found when you look up the word "produce." For instance, each ounce of crumbled blue cheese, shredded cheddar or bacon bits adds at least 100 calories. Having said that, it's okay to enjoy a chef's salad.

Just make sure that entrée salads aren't overloaded with meat, egg and cheese. Think of these toppings as accessories. And, sure, avocados, olives and nuts contain good-for-you mono-unsaturated fats, but if cutting calories is your goal, use them only as delicious accessories, too.

Here's how to keep your salad light:

-- Ask for it to be topped or tossed with minimal dressing.

-- Ask for dressing on the side and dilute it with lemon juice or vinegar.

-- Dip your fork into the dressing and then pierce bites of salad.

-- Read the nutrition facts on fast-food dressing packets; try to use only 2 tablespoons.

-- If an entrée salad is large, split it with a friend or have the server put half in a carryout container before bringing it to the table.

(Courtesy: New York Times)

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