1200 Calorie Menu: Day 2

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This is the second 1200 calorie menu in my latest week long menu. Unlike my previous 7-day diet plan that involved quite a bit of cooking this one fits the heat and eat, or grab and go type. So, if you want quick and easy I think you’ll like this. I am including one meal each day from a national restaurant chain, fast food or otherwise. Today’s lunch is a sandwich, veggie salad, and a yogurt from Subway. I’ve included the option of having a roast beef sandwich but you could choose ham, turkey, or even a veggie sandwich and still do quite well for nutritional balance. Just be sure to eat the menu items from Subway as is without additional dressing, croutons, or other condiments and you can keep your lunch to just 350 calories. Not bad! Nutritious too. The sodium count is a little high but the rest of the day is not, so the total comes out to less than the recommended limit of 2300 mg of sodium per day (1878 mg sodium). Keeping your sodium intake low is not only good for your health but you might avoid retaining extra fluids. The Dannon Light and Fit yogurt does contain Splenda (sucralose). I’m pointing that out because I do try to avoid artificial sweeteners if at all possible. However, from what I can determine it is the only choice assuming yogurt is still available at Subway. (If yogurt is no longer available where you live buy one or more to keep in your refrigerator for morning or afternoon snacks). Having artificially sweetened food on occasion is not likely to hurt you unless you have known issues with sucralose. (See Artificial Sweeteners for Weight Loss to learn more.) Another feature of today’s menu is that it allows for a small scoop of ice cream for dessert after supper! The ice cream choice I’ve included contributes 100 mg of calcium along with only 100 calories per ½ cup serving. Eat it slowly and mindfully and you can get just as much satisfaction as if you had eaten several scoops or more. 1200 Calorie Menu (Day 2) Breakfast ½ cup Trail Mix (Make your own in minutes. Approximately 188 calories)* 1 stick Mozzarella String Cheese (Horizon, 80 calories) 1?2 cup Orange Juice (Light ‘N Healthy Orange Juice with Calcium- Tropicana - 25 calories)** Water, unsweetened tea, or coffee Snack ¼ cup almonds, dry roasted preferably unsalted Lunch 1 Subway – Deli Style Roast Beef Sandwich (220 calories) 1 Veggie Delite Salad (50 calories without dressing or croutons) 1 Dannon Light & Fit Yogurt (80 calories) Water, unsweetened tea, or coffee Snack 1 medium orange (Yes, the same snack as the Day 1 menu but hey, it’s a good choice!) Supper 1 cup Fat Free Barley Soup (Health Valley – 90 calories) 1 Veggie Cake (veggie cake/burger by MorningStar – 130 calories) ½ cup Lite Vanilla Ice Cream (Blue Bunny – 100 calories) Water, unsweetened tea, or coffee (Always remember to get plenty of water throughout the day. Read Water, Weight, and Women to learn more about your water needs.) Total Calories = 1202 Total Fiber = 24.8 g Fat = 25% Carbs = 57% Protein = 56% (U.S. Dietary Guidelines Recommended percentages: Fat 20-35%, Carbohydrates 45-65%, Protein 10-35%, and Saturated Fats less than 9%) Calcium = 931 mg (Women between 19 and 50 years need approximately 1,000 mg a day, 51+ need 1,200 + mg a day) Iron = 20.6 mg (Women 19 to 50 years need 18 mg of iron, 51+ need 8 mg) *Trail Mix – Make up enough for several mini-meals or snacks. Combine 1.5 Cups of Multigrain Chex Cereal, ½ cup raisins, ½ cup craisins original, and ½ cup dry-roasted pistachio nuts. Mix then add ½ cup servings to mini zip lock bags. Store in a cool, dry place. This makes about 3 cups total for six ½ cup servings or about 188 calories per serving. Note: Multigrain Chex Cereal is fortified with iron. If you are post-menopausal you may want to choose a different whole grain cereal with less iron. **Light N’ Healthy Calcium Orange Juice by Tropicana. I included this juice because it is a source of a little extra calcium and it helped the numbers to add up right for total of approximately 1200 calories. However, I believe a regular orange juice product (with or without added calcium) would be a better choice for not too many more calories. Why would it be better? Light juice is made by adding water to plain orange juice. That dilutes the available nutrients, which may or may not be added back in. In my opinion, the original mix of nutrients as nature intended is always best. 1300, 1400, or 1500 Calorie Diet Menu This menu has a fairly good balance of nutrients. It comes up just a tad short on calcium for women of all ages, however, it’s not bad. If you are post-menopausal you may want to supplement this menu with another serving of a milk product. Or be sure to take a calcium supplement (with vitamin D). Otherwise, add an additional serving or two of one of the menu items or other food of your choice to bring the total calories up to the level you need. Till next time, watch your calories and eat healthy food! 1200 calorie diet 1200 calories 1300 1400 1500 calorie diet 1500 calories 7 Day Diet Menu calories fast food weight loss 1200 calorie diet, 1200 calories, 1300, 1400, 1500 calorie diet, 1500 calories, 7 Day Diet Menu, calories, fast food, weight loss1200 calorie diet 1200 calorie menu 1300 1400 1500 calorie diet menu healthy fast food

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Healthy Zucchini Bread: Low Calorie Too!

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Have you had a zucchini summer? That’s when you feel a little overwhelmed with summer squash of all kinds! Healthy zucchini bread and muffins can be a great solution! Eat some now and freeze the rest. Choose a low calorie version and it gets even better. However, most recipes include more fat, sugar, and calories than you might want for a weight loss or maintenance diet. I have a few recipes for you that will keep you on track! I’ve actually been inundated with yellow squash recently. The one yellow squash plant in my garden this summer has turned out to be as prolific or more than any zucchini plant I’ve ever had! So I’ve been learning more about summer squash and what to do with it. Thankfully, it seems that any summer squash recipe will work equally well for whatever summer squash you might have, zucchini or otherwise. In doing some searches on the web I found four great sounding zucchini bread recipes that I decided to test out. I’ve now made two of the recipes and I’m pleased! I’ll get to the other two soon. However, before I share these recipes, I’d like to show you the nutrient breakdown of a fairly common and well-liked zucchini bread recipe so you can see why some basic modifications wouldn’t hurt!! Here are the ingredients for what seems to be a fairly standard zucchini bread recipe. If the amount of each ingredient seems to be a lot that’s because the recipe makes 2 loaves. Even so ½ cup of oil and a cup and a half of sugar per loaf are clues that this may not be the best choice. [SAMPLE zucchini RECIPE TO ILLUSTRATE THE NUTRIENT AND CALORIE COUNT, lower calorie recipes with less fat and sugar follow] Ingredients to make two standard-sized 9-inch loaves * 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour * 1 1/2 teaspoons salt * 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg * 2 teaspoons baking soda * 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon * 3 cups sugar * 1 cup vegetable oil * 4 eggs, beaten * 1/3 cup water * 2 cups grated zucchini * 1 teaspoon lemon juice * 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans My analysis of the calorie and nutrient content is based on 12 slices to a loaf, which seems about right. Another reason to calculate based on 12 is that the same results would hold true if you choose to make 12 muffins with the recipe instead of a loaf of bread. Nutrient Analysis: 277 calories per slice (Who stops at one slice? If you do, good for you! Anyway you can see how the calories can add up quickly. Note: To learn more about how many calories you need when dieting whether 1200, 1500, or more read: 1200 Calorie Diet: Getting Started! ) 13.2 grams of fat (This isn’t too bad if you stop at one slice. Read: How Much Fat Do You Need?) 1.2 grams of saturated fat 262 mg of sodium 25.8 grams of sugar (The 2005 U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend the average American woman keep “added” sugar consumption to less than 8 tsp. or 32 grams per day. Sugar, in many different forms, is added to a wide range of food products so achieving this recommendation is tough! See Hidden Sugar: What You Need to Know ) 1 gram of dietary fiber By the way, this particular recipe is very popular. At last check it had received 452 5-star reviews! Just because a recipe includes veggies and nuts and people like the taste does not necessarily make it a healthy choice. We have to consider the whole story! Although it could easily be worse, 277 calories is quite a lot for just one slice of zucchini bread. It is possible to do better and still have good taste. The WholeFoods Market (grocery store) took on the challenge of modifying a similar zucchini bread recipe a customer had submitted to them. The changes they made saved about 70 calories (original recipe 300 calories per slice) and 4 grams of fat and added 2 grams of dietary fiber per slice of bread. Not bad! The newly revised recipe sounds good. They also share some helpful tips on achieving a healthier profile when modifying a zucchini bread recipe. The WholeFoods Market story is a good read. I recommend you check it out. The final calorie count for the new recipe has 230 calories per slice. That’s better than 277 but I have a few recipes that do better yet. Zucchini Carrot Bread or Muffins (Makes one 9-inch loaf or 12 muffins) I made muffins rather than bread. Mmm..they turned out good! Only 141 calories per muffin or slice! Including grated carrots along with the zucchini makes this bread extra good in the nutrition department. Although I didn’t have any on hand, pecans would have added to the nutritional value of the muffins also. The original recipe can be found at the University of Maine Wellness Program site. I made a few changes to reduce the calorie count and improve the nutrient profile. (1/2 cup applesauce rather than ½ cup vegetable oil. I also substituted ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour for ½ cup white flour.) 1 cup unbleached or all-purpose flour ½ cup whole wheat flour 2/3 cup sugar 2 and ½ tsp. baking powder ¼ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. ground ginger 1 egg, beaten ½ cup applesauce 1 cup grated zucchini ½ cup grated carrots ½ cup pecans (optional) 1/4 cup skim milk (*see note below) Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees 2. Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ginger in a large bowl. 3. Add the beaten egg, applesauce, grated zucchini, and grated carrots in a small bowl and mix well. 4. Combine the flour and liquid mixture and blend till the dry ingredients are moistened but not over mixed. 5. Spray a 9-inch loaf pan or a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray and add the batter. (I like to use a ¼ cup measure to quickly and easily scoop out the batter when I make muffins.) 6. Bake about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. [*Note: I added 1/4 cup of nonfat milk to the recipe because the batter seemed to be rather dry. The muffins were moist and tasty but somewhat small and compact. You might want to try ¼ cup applesauce with ¼ cup oil for lighter, less compact muffins or bread.] The nutrient breakdown: 141 calories per muffin! 4.1 grams of fat 0.4 grams of saturated fat 150 mg of sodium 12.3 grams of sugar 2.1 grams of dietary fiber Healthy Zucchini Bread or Muffins (Makes 1 loaf or 12 muffins) The original recipe can be found at the Glamour magazine site. I made only a few small changes from the original. Ingredients: ½ cup sugar 1 egg beaten 1 cup all purpose flour ½ cup whole wheat flour (whole wheat pastry flour works best) 1 tbsp. vanilla extract 1/3 cup vegetable oil ½ cup unsweetened applesauce 1 and ½ cups of grated zucchini (yellow squash also works) ¼ tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. baking soda (don’t know that this is necessary) 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tbsp. cinnamon ¼ tsp. nutmeg [Note: I mistakenly left out 1 tbsp. of vanilla extract from the original recipe when I prepared these muffins but they turned out fine without it! And I did not add raw pumpkin seeds on top as recommended in the original. I’m sure they would add additional flavor and nutrients but I found the muffins to be fine without them.) Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees 2. Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix well (sugar, flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg). 3. Combine the liquid ingredients in a small bowl and stir well (egg, vegetable oil, unsweetened applesauce, zucchini). 4. Spray a 9-inch loaf pan or a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray and add the batter. (Tip: I like to use a ¼ cup measure to quickly and easily scoop out the batter when I make muffins.) 5. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf or muffins comes out clean. This recipe makes a light and moist muffin that is surprisingly good, almost like a spice cake! I was skeptical about adding so much cinnamon. It turned out fine although I may reduce the amount to only 2 teaspoons when I make this again. Cinnamon is a terrific ingredient. It enhances the sense of sweetness while adding hardly any calories. And it is a significant source of healthful antioxidants. The nutrient breakdown: 161 calories per muffin or slice 6.9 grams of fat 0.6 grams of saturated fat 133 mg of sodium 9.9 grams of sugar 1.5 grams of dietary fiber [If getting a little more calories would not be a problem for you, I recommend adding ¼ to ½ cup chopped nuts for additional flavor and nutrients. Pecans and walnuts work well.] Another great sounding low calorie zucchini bread recipe that I have yet to try is Chocolate Zucchini Bread . Doesn’t that sound good? Check it out. You’ll find it in the Food and Wine Section of the Sacramento Bee online newspaper. (Only 178 calories per slice with 12 slices per loaf. Although the recipe states 134 calories, the calculations are based on 16 slices per loaf not 12.) Till next time, watch those calories and eat healthy food! calories Health Maintenance weight loss calories, Health, Maintenance, weight losshealthy zucchini bread zucchini bread zucchini muffins healthy low calorie nutritious weight loss diet

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Natural Sweeteners and Weight Loss

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A couple of weeks back I wrote about the use of artificial sweeteners for weight loss. I’m not convinced these sweeteners are a good choice for many reasons. Natural sweeteners would seem to be your best bet. But hold on, will these sweeteners save you any calories and are they good for your health? Natural sweeteners, in my opinion, ARE a better choice than artificial sweeteners but ONLY when used in moderation. Sweeteners can make food taste better! In moderation, caloric natural sweeteners may have a reduced potential to cause health problems. Unfortunately, the average American is getting far too many added sugars each day from many sources (both obvious and hidden sugar), as much as 20 tsp. a day or 320 calories worth. This crowds out healthier foods or creates a calorie surplus, which can lead to fat storage and potentially, an increased risk for heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and more. (see Weight Loss for Women: Does it Matter?). Non-caloric natural sweeteners may offer a better alternative. But these sweeteners won’t necessarily make weight loss any easier. What You Need to Know White table sugar, powdered sugar, and even brown sugar, both light and dark, are highly refined. These sweeteners offer little more than just calories. Other natural sweeteners are less highly processed and a few offer more in the way of vitamins and minerals from the original sugarcane or other sweetener source. Some, such as maple syrup and honey may have antioxidants along with traces of minerals. Many, but not all natural sweeteners have a calorie count similar to or even greater than white table sugar. There are a few with little or no calories because their intense sweetness requires just a tiny amount to achieve the same effect as table sugar. Unfortunately, there is no evidence that natural sweeteners promote weight less any better than artificial sweeteners. On the other hand, certain non-caloric sweeteners have only recently become available in the United States. Evaluating the effectiveness of these sweeteners for weight loss may require more time. Non-Caloric Sweeteners Zero calorie or non-caloric sweeteners might benefit weight loss but only if you exchange a low calorie food or a zero calorie beverage for one of greater calories. It’s all too easy to compensate for the calories you may forgo either consciously or unconsciously. Have you ever said told yourself that you’ve saved calories on a certain low calorie food or beverage and then rationalize that it’s O.K. to have a high calorie treat? There goes the calorie savings. How helpful is that when calories count? Stevia Made from a South American shrub, Stevia is a natural sweetener 300 times sweeter than table sugar. Until recently the FDA limited the sale of Stevia to dietary supplements because of concerns about its safety. With its recent FDA approval it is now showing up in everything from diet drinks to sugar-free candies. Stevia is also know as rebiana. The new Stevia is actually a mixture of the purified extract along with other sweeteners such as erythritol. This combination helps to temper the intense natural sweetness of the pure sweetener and to reduce the licorice-like taste that some people do not like. There are some consumer groups who claim the product has not been adequately tested for cancer risk. Other organizations including the FDA and the United Nations Joint Food and Agriculture Organization have determined that food-grade rebiana (Stevia) is safe for its intended use as a general-purpose sweetener. Erythritol Erythritol is a naturally processed sugar alcohol that has been approved for use in the United States and in many other countries around the world. It is about 70% as sweet as table sugar yet it has virtually no calories (0.2 calories per gram compared with 4 calories for table sugar). Erythritol seems to be gentler on the digestive tract than many other sugar alcohols. Because it is normally absorbed before it enters the large intestine it does not cause the laxative effects of other sugar alcohols. The only exception might be if you were to consume such a large amount that your body does not have time to absorb it before it passes on to the large intestine. Because erythritol is not as sweet as table sugar (sucrose) it is often combined with other sweeteners to take the edge off the intensity of the other sweeteners. The natural sweetener Stevia comes with a small amount of erythritol already present. Erythritol and Splenda can also be combined when baking at home to improve the taste of the final product. This natural sweetener comes in both granulated and powdered forms. I understand powdered is preferred over granulated because the granulated form seems to stay grainy unless dissolved in water. Caloric sweeteners There are quite a number of caloric natural sweeteners for baking, cooking, or sweetening beverages. A few offer a little more nutrition than the empty calories of table sugar, but you won’t gain much if any savings on calories. Some of these sweeteners actually have more calories than table sugar. Sweeteners Made from Sugarcane White sugar Blackstrap molasses Rapadura Sucanat Turbinado Sugar Evaporated Cane Juice Other Natural Sweeteners Agave Nectar (Produced from agave, a succulent plant native to Mexico.) Brown Rice Syrup (This sweetener is made from cooked rice that is cultured with enzymes. It has about half the sweetness of table sugar.) Honey Maple Syrup Only Blackstrap molasses, evaporated cane juice and maple syrup contain a significant amount of vitamins and minerals from the original source. All of these natural sweeteners have calories and most are approximately the same as white table sugar (about 15-16 calories per teaspoon). Agave nectar and brown rice syrup have about 20 calories per teaspoon. Honey and maple syrup have approximately 22 calories per teaspoon. However, depending on the replacement amount per cup of white table sugar when cooking or baking some sweeteners may offer somewhat less calories and others significantly more. Sugarcane products with the exception of molasses (which has a very strong flavor) are used at a 1:1 replacement for table sugar in cooking and baking. Only 2/3 cup of agave nectar is needed per cup of table sugar. This might save a few calories even though gram for gram agave nectar has more calories than table sugar. Brown rice syrup on the other hand is not as sweet as table sugar and requires more in replacement. Using brown rice syrup would significantly increase the calorie count over that of table sugar. Both honey and maple syrup are substituted at ¾ cup per cup of table sugar. But each teaspoon has significantly more calories. So NO calorie savings here: 1 cup table sugar = 720 calories and ¾ cup honey or maple syrup = 792 calories or more. I use both white and brown sugar, honey, and maple syrup in my cooking and baking. Agave nectar sounds intriguing so I may give it a try sometime soon. Because none of these alternative sweeteners save me calories and may even result in more calories, I choose to limit my intake. This benefits my weight maintenance efforts and my health! I hope you consider doing the same. The key is to keep sweetened food and beverages for occasional treats and limit how much you eat. Till next time, watch those calories and eat healthy food! Health weight loss Health, weight lossnatural sweeteners sugar sweeteners weight loss diet health

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Healthy Low Calorie Sample Menu

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I’ve got an EASY low calorie sample menu for you today! Recently I shared a 7 Day Diet Sample Menu plus recipes for 1200 calories a day or more that required a fair amount of meal preparation. Now I will be creating a new menu plan for a week that requires very little work! The cost will likely be considerably higher for the new plan. (I know I have yet to share the final cost for the first 7 Day Sample Menu. Hopefully I’ll get to that soon!). In the meantime, here’s the first sample menu of the new set. For this menu you can prepare two simple meals (breakfast and supper) at home in just minutes and then enjoy lunch out. If it works better to eat out for supper rather than lunch, just switch the two. This menu suggests ordering two low calorie healthy meal items from Schlotzsky’s restaurant for lunch. Do you have a Schlotzsky’s near you? I don’t. If you’re like me, you could still follow the menu by substituting something similar. I’ve included the calorie count for the two dishes to help you out. The total calorie count comes to approximately 1247. If you need to keep the calorie count at 1200 you might substitute nonfat cow’s milk for the soy milk or eat a little less of the Chicken and Pesto Pasta Salad. However if you choose nonfat cow’s milk instead of the enriched soy milk, keep in mind that you will have a little less calcium and a LOT less iron. (Note: To be sure you’re getting enough calories with your diet I encourage you to read: 1200 Calorie Diet: Getting Started! ) Low Calorie Sample Menu (Day 1) Breakfast 1 cup Enriched Soy Milk (Soy Dream, 120 calories)* ¾ cup Heart to Heart Kashi Cereal ½ cup Blueberries Water, unsweetened tea, or coffee Snack 1 cup Enriched Soy Milk (Soy Dream, 120 calories)* Lunch Schlotzsky’s Chicken and Pesto Pasta Salad (326 calories) Schlotzsky’s Fresh Fruit Salad (123 calories) Water, unsweetened tea, or coffee Snack 1 piece Laughing Cow Cheese, light original (50 calories) 1 medium orange Supper 1 Hummus and Tomato Sandwich (Start with 1 Whole Wheat Tortilla and spread one side with 2 Tbsp. hummus. Top with ½ cup spinach leaves, 1/2 cup tomato slices, ¼ cup feta cheese. Roll up and enjoy. Quick, easy. Ready in minutes.) Water, unsweetened tea, or coffee (Always remember to get plenty of water throughout the day. Read Water, Weight, and Women to learn more about your water needs.) Total Calories = 1247 Total Fiber = 28.1 g Fat = 23% Carbs = 58% Protein = 19% Calcium = 1088 mg (Women between 19 and 50 years need approximately 1,000 mg a day, 51+ need 1,200 + mg a day) Iron = 20.8 mg (Women 19 to 50 years need 18 mg of iron, 51+ need 8 mg) *To save about 40 calories a cup and still have comparable nutrition, substitute a cup of nonfat cow’s milk for the soymilk. I often switch between drinking cow’s milk and soymilk. Having a few small cartons of shelf stable soymilk in the cupboard means I have something convenient to grab for a quick and easy meal (paired with cereal) or a filling snack on its own when I’m on the go. 1300, 1400, or 1500 Calorie Diet Menu Modify the 1200 Calorie Diet Menu to fit your needs. Other than coming up a little short on calcium for women over 51, this is a healthy well-balanced menu. You can increase the total calories to 1300, 1400, or 1500 by choosing larger portion sizes for any of the foods in the menu. Or you can add additional food of your choice. As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, I design the sample menus with the help of the large database of nutrient information and other calculators provided at MyFoodDiary.com When I have completed a menu, I enjoy seeing the kind of feedback I get about the nutritional balance. As a nutritionist, I have a fairly good idea when a menu is well balanced by the results of the data analysis. But it is fun to see if the service and I are in agreement. As silly as it may sound, I like that each positive comment gets a smiley face! For more information about low calorie diets you may want to read: 1200 Calorie Diet 1200 Calorie Diet Plan 1500 Calorie Diet Plan Till next time watch those calories and eat healthy food! burn calories weight loss burn, calories, weight loss1200 calorie diet sample menu low calorie menu 1300 1400 1500

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Low Calorie Salads: Best Healthy Choices when Eating Out

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When eating out, what could be better than a crisp juicy salad with a little grilled meat on top for a healthy low calorie meal? This can be especially appealing during the warmer months of the year. It’s midsummer as I write this so still plenty of warm weather left even where I live in the Midwest. Summer may also mean more road trips and therefore more of a need to quickly find and purchase a healthy low calorie meal while on the go. Yes, salads CAN be a great choice if you are watching your calorie intake but don’t be fooled! Most full meal restaurant salads are packed with hidden fat and sugar, yes sugar! Calorie counts can easily push past 600-700, even 1,000! And if the fat and sugar weren’t enough there’s the issue of too much sodium! Whenever possible, have a sense of what you will choose BEFORE going to a restaurant (look it up online). My husband and I just returned from a short 2-day trip to Wisconsin. While on the road we stopped at Culver’s for a quick supper. Now mind you Culver’s is not what I would have chosen for staying on track with my healthy low calorie eating. But it was late. We were tired and Culver’s was one of the few choices we had when we were ready to eat. More importantly, I think my husband had just found a way to get me to go with him to Culver’s for a meal so he could have frozen custard for dessert! Now imagine my surprise when I learned Culver’s has a new Spinach and Strawberry Salad with an option to add grilled chicken pieces on top. That salad really hit the spot. I ate the whole thing without adding even a little salad dressing. It was that good. I won’t go so far as to say that I haven’t had anything better because I certainly have! But hey it sure beats choosing one of the many high calorie grease-laden meals from the menu. There are quite a few that make me think I could easily end up in the emergency room with heart problems as soon as the grease hits my arteries! At my age you think about these things but no matter how young you may be I hope you also come up with some image stopping pictures in your mind to decrease your chances of selecting less than desirable entrees. Back at home I tried unsuccessfully to find the calorie count for the Spinach and Strawberry Salad. It must be so new it’s not even listed at the company website. However, when I compare it in my mind with similar meals at other restaurants my guess is that it weighs in at less than 400 calories and possibly less than 350. That’s just a guess so don’t take my word on that. When I find the calorie count, I’ll let you know. Here’s a short list of other good options for low cal salads when you’re eating out: Wendy’s Mandarin Chicken, without almonds, crispy noodles, or dressing 180 calories .5 g saturated fat 630 mg sodium 2 g dietary fiber 12 g sugar 24 g protein 40 mg calcium The Mandarin Chicken Salad without the added ingredients gets my top vote for a healthy choice. It has the lowest sodium count of just about any other fast food salad. However, the dietary fiber and calcium count could be better but with only 180 calories for the meal you can easily add a low fat dairy product such as yogurt or milk to boost the calcium. And you might have an apple for additional fiber (you may have to bring one along to eat later after your meal). McDonald’s (3 fairly good choices): Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken, without dressing 220 Calories 3 g saturated fat 890 mg sodium 3 g dietary fiber 5 g sugar 30 g protein 200 mg calcium The other possibilities from McDonald’s: Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken, without dressing (320 calories) Bacon Ranch with Grilled Chicken Salad, without dressing (260 calories) Arby’s Market Fresh Santa Fe Salad with Grilled Chicken, without dressing 279 calories 4 g saturated fat 679 mg sodium 6 g dietary fiber 25 g protein 210 mg calcium Note: This salad is currently listed as being available but it was not on the menu when I checked a local Arby’s just yesterday. Burger King Garden Salad with Tender Grilled Chicken, without dressing or croutons 240 calories 3.5 g saturated fat 720 mg sodium 4 g dietary fiber 33 g protein 150 mg calcium Dairy Queen Grilled Chicken Salad, without dressing 280 calories 5 g saturated fat 890 mg sodium 4 g dietary fiber 8 g sugar 31 g protein 700 mg calcium Au Bon Pain Caesar Salad 240 calories 6 g saturated fat 310 mg sodium 4 g dietary fiber 13 g protein 350 mg calcium This salad has more saturated fat than I would like. I try to keep my saturated fat intake at 12 grams or less for the day. So the salad is O.K. if I remember to choose foods with little or no saturated fat the rest of the day. Schlotzsky’s Deli Baby Spinach and Feta, without dressing or croutons 197 calories 5 g saturated fat 447 mg sodium 4 g dietary fiber 4 g sugar 10 g protein My sources for this information were Calorie Lab and Calorie King online. Hopefully the databases are up to date! (Restaurants change their menus fairly often.) To learn more about low calorie restaurant food especially if you are on a low calorie diet of 1200 to 1500 calories you might find some of my previous articles to be helpful: A Low Calorie Restaurant Food Guide Low Calorie Italian Food: What to Choose at an Italian Restaurant Low Calorie Chinese Meals: Restaurant or Take Out Low Calorie Mexican Food Healthy Restaurant Food: Is it Low Calorie? I’m leaving for another road trip very soon so this information may come in handy for me. Hope it helps you as well. Before I finish up this article, I’d like to share a nagging question. Why the heck can’t these restaurants come up with more creative low calorie salad choices??? Some days I can’t stand the thought of eating another grilled chicken salad!!!! What about you? Till next time, watch those calories and eat healthy food! calories Health weight loss calories, Health, weight losssalad restaurants fast food healthy low calorie healthy salad low calorie salad weight loss dieting diet

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