Adopting a diet plan centered around the salad bar can promote weight loss. However, your salad bar diet should feature diverse whole foods that represent the major food groups. If you eat from a salad bar once or twice a day, choose different combinations of ingredients to ensure you consume a nutritionally balanced diet. Speak with a nutritionist or doctor about how to meet your dietary needs if you have any concerns.
Foods with Low Energy Density
Most of your salad bowl or plate should feature ingredients with low energy density. Naturally low in calories, these foods ideally have high fiber content and water content, filling you up. For example, a cup of grapes at 100 calories has low energy density due to its high water content. In comparison, a cup of raisins at over 400 calories has high energy density. Other low energy density foods include spinach, other leafy greens, carrots, celery, other raw vegetables, fresh fruit and garbanzo beans.
Foods to Avoid
Not every item at the salad bar promotes weight loss. Unless the grated cheese says low-fat or nonfat, it will be high in calories and saturated fat. Use only a dusting as a garnish, or replace it with plant-based proteins such as whole beans. Skip marinated bean and vegetable salads that come packed in oil and sodium. Eat their fresh, whole counterparts instead. Pasta salad and potato salad provide very little nutrients and have oily dressings. Avoid prepared fruit salads made with whipped cream, gelatin and marshmallows. Do not eat ingredients that have been deep-fried.
Garnishes
The healthiest salad becomes caloric and fatty if you use too much dressing or the wrong type of dressing. Avoid creamy, cheesy and oily dressings. Instead, mix your own dressing using red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Garnish your salad with sources of healthy fat such as olives, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and unsweetened nuts. Choose whole grain crackers, croutons or rolls to eat with your salad.
Weight Loss
Even the healthiest salad bar diet can make you gain weight if you do not practice portion control. If you want to do a return trip to take advantage of the buffet, make the second serving a small fruit plate to replace dessert. Drink plain water or unsweetened iced tea to fill you up faster. In general, if women limit their total intake to 1,500 calories per day and men to 1,800 calories per day, they will lose 1 to 2 lbs. per week on a salad bar diet.
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