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For a healthy salad, avoid fatty dressings

June 18, 2006 12:50 am

DELICIOUSLY COOLING on summer days, salads can be as light and simple as Romaine lettuce tossed with vinaigrette, or as chic and filling as grilled chicken with endive, blue cheese, dried cranberries and walnuts.

A smartly made salad can stoke your energy, reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke, cancer and arthritis, and help manage weight. But an overdressed salad can pack more calories than a Big Mac and fries.

Inventing tasty, healthy salads is a matter of selecting the best, most nutrient-dense ingredients. With a few tips, you can unlock the secrets to adding healthy fats, which boost vitamin absorption, and to adding protein to make your salad the main part of your meal.

Weight-conscious folks might be glad to learn that eating a light salad as a first course curbs appetite. People who started a meal with a light salad ate 7 percent to 12 percent less of the rest of the meal, and they ate fewer calories overall, according to a study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

The most basic salad consists of some type of vegetable, such as lettuce or sliced tomatoes, and a dressing. To maximize nutrition, try adding a variety of colors and tastes, and you'll receive a wider range of nutrients.

Traditional salads are based on the greens. Darker green lettuces like Romaine and red-leaf lettuce have more nutrients than paler lettuces like Iceberg. Get creative by trying fancy mesclun lettuces, shredded green or red cabbage (both packed with even more cancer-fighting nutrients than lettuce), or peppery greens like arugula.

Greens provide beta carotene, which is important for skin, eyes and the immune system. Greens also provide minerals such as iron, magnesium and zinc.

For a healthier salad, add a rainbow of other colors to the greens. (Or, you can skip the green altogether and start with other colors.) The more colors you pick, the more cancer-fighting phytonutrients, or natural plant substances, you will have.

Consider adding delicious red veggies such as sliced, vine-ripened tomatoes or sweet grape tomatoes. They're rich in lycopene, which is good for the heart and--for men--the prostate gland.

Fresh or marinated red peppers, rich in beta carotene, and crunchy sliced radishes are two other favorite red vegetables.

Orange veggies like shredded carrots are packed with beta carotene, helpful for vision. Yellow veggies such as small summer squash are tender and delicious, too.

Onions and cauliflower are pale white but packed with phytochemicals, so they can be another good addition to a salad. I find onions too strong to eat raw but enjoy milder marinated onions. Simply slice onion rings and marinate in a dish of lime juice before adding to salads.

Most vegetables have savory tastes, so adding a bit of fruit can be delightfully sweet. Sliced strawberries, nectarines and mangoes are delicious in season. All year, you can buy canned pineapple or mandarin oranges and dried fruits such as raisins, cherries and cranberries.

To make a salad more filling, you can add starchy foods such as croutons, cubed potatoes, whole grain pasta or wild rice.

However, I leave these ingredients out if I'll be having something else starchy, like bread, with my meal.

If you're eating salad as a meal in itself, add protein: It's more nutritionally complete, and you'll feel more satisfied than if you ate vegetables alone.

You can get protein in beans, meats, cheeses and eggs. Cooked or canned beans such as garbanzos, kidney beans, black beans and green peas are delicious and packed with protein and fiber.

Meat-eaters can add a variety: pieces of grilled chicken breast or chopped lean steak, boiled eggs, sliced Prosciutto ham or even pepperoni. Be careful, though, as beef and pork contain a lot of saturated fat, and piling high with meat will add calories. Tuna, shrimp, scallops, smoked salmon are leaner protein choices.

Cheese is another good source of protein, but too much also can add too much fat. Fresh mozzarella and feta cheeses have less fat than cheddar. Strongly flavored cheeses, such as grated Parmesan, blue cheese or goat cheese, are good choices, too, because they taste great in small doses.

If you're watching your weight, keep your combined meat-and-cheese portion no larger than the palm of your hand. Meat and cheese are higher in calories than vegetables.

Cottage cheese is lowest in calories of the cheeses, allowing for larger portions. Its creamy, mild taste pairs well with tangy fruits like mandarins over greens.

If you're not adding meat or cheese to your salad, try adding savory marinated vegetables. Most markets carry jars of artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, marinated mushrooms or antipasto.

Herbs also are lovely, especially fresh basil, thyme, fennel, dill or parsley.

Many people use fat-free salad dressings to cut calories, but studies show that you need some fat to absorb vitamins E and A, and beta carotene, from vegetables and fruits.

The healthiest fats come from sliced avocados, guacamole, nuts, dressings made with olive or canola oil, and nuts.

Sprinkle chopped walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or pistachios on your salad for an American or European flair. Chopped peanuts, Macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts and cashews add a taste of the tropics. Nuts are high in calories, so a small handful is plenty.

Fats contained in cheeses, meats and creamy dressings still help you absorb nutrients, but aren't as good for your heart, so use them sparingly.

That doesn't mean you should avoid dressings, though.

When I was a little girl, I hated salad dressing and once made a waiter blush by asking for my salad "nude." Now, I crave dressings.

A basic dressing usually contains both something acidic and an oil. Often, I choose the ultimate, simple homemade dressing, splashing a little balsamic vinegar or fresh lime juice on my salad, followed with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Oil calories add up fast and you need only a little for flavor, so I try to add only to 1 teaspoon oil per serving of salad, then add vinegar and herbs.

Restaurants often serve huge amounts of dressing, adding up to nearly 1,000 calories--more calories than if you had chosen a large cheeseburger and fries. A tablespoon of regular dressing has about 100 calories. In contrast, you'd have to eat 4 cups of lettuce to get 100 calories.

When calories are a concern, try using small amounts of dressing, or try low-fat dressings (keeping in mind the need for some fat in your salad). I like to make a creamy, Greek-style dressing using plain yogurt, cucumber and herbs--my husband didn't even realize it was low-fat.

With thick, heavy dressings, such as ranch, I keep the dressing on the side in a dish. I dip my fork in the dressing before stabbing each bite of salad. This way, I get the yummy dressing taste in every bite but use far less and save calories for dessert.

People say food tastes better when it is displayed better. So in addition to choosing contrasting, colorful ingredients, vary the shapes, sizes and textures. Try chopping veggies into a variety of shapes: shreds of lettuce, thin rounds of yellow squash, bite-size ribbons of red pepper, grated carrots you get the idea.

For interesting textures, mix tender foods, such as greens and tomatoes, with crisper ones, like minced celery, and with soft foods like avocados or cheese.

Treat yourself to a variety of salads, too. Try Caprese salad, an aromatic Italian trio of fresh mozzarella, summer tomatoes and fresh basil. Or try Middle Eastern tabbouleh, with bulgur wheat, tomatoes, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil.

At home, toss simple salads like Romaine lettuce with strawberries and mozzarella, or Boston lettuce with goat cheese and sliced pears.

Whatever salad you choose, getting more fruits and vegetables is good for your health.

JENNIFER MOTL, a registered dietitian, welcomes reader questions via her Web site, brighteating.com, or mailed to Nutrition, The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401.