You don't win friends with salad

osarusan

It kind of annoys me when, in a restaurant, people go on about how they need to watch calories and order a salad, then talk enviously about what other people ordered - you're in a restaurant, perhaps you should have prepared for this calorie-wise for this over the last few days.

Otherwise though, I wouldn't even notice, and if I did, wouldn't care. As long as it doesn't stink, it's fine.

When was the last time I ate a salad? Breakfast this morning was boiled veg: carrots, broccoli, asparagus, peas, sweetcorn, and some raw veg too: radish, sugar snaps, tomato, avocado, along with some spicy chicken pieces, with some dressing.

ghostdancer

i'm not a fan of most salads, but if there's a Chopped near you, try one. they chop the f*ck out of all the ingredients so it's less boring than a regular salad
https://www.chopped.ie/

my usual is:

-spinach
-mexican chicken
-sweet peppers
-jalapenos
-avocado
-sun dried tomato
-egg
-dubliner cheese
-cajun lemon sauce

LirW

osarusan wrote: »

It kind of annoys me when, in a restaurant, people go on about how they need to watch calories and order a salad, then talk enviously about what other people ordered - you're in a restaurant, perhaps you should have prepared for this calorie-wise for this over the last few days.

Otherwise though, I wouldn't even notice, and if I did, wouldn't care. As long as it doesn't stink, it's fine.

Also the dressing has usually a trillion calories on its own.

RoboRat

seamus wrote: »

I'm with you OP, I don't "get" salad. Which makes people look at you weird when you're vegetarian.

When I see a salad, I see no substance. You may as well serve a glass of water.

I get the whole "nice dressing makes it tasty" thing, sometimes. But it's still a bowl of mostly air and a couple of leaves. I can never understand how someone only eats a salad for a main course.

But then raw/cold vegetables have never been a thing with me. So that's probably it. Give me a bowl of hot mushy vegetables boiled to within an inch of their lives, over a bowl of crunchy cold raw stuff, any day of the week.

Horses for courses, personally I despise overcooked vegetables, I like them with a bit of crunch and tasting fresh, not like a blob of congealed vegetable mix but each to their own; my parents like meat that looks like it has reentered the atmosphere, twice, whereas I prefer my meat done to a point where a good vet could resuscitate it.

Syphonax

Does the trimming that goes with a burger constitute a salad?

RoboRat

LirW wrote: »

Also the dressing has usually a trillion calories on its own.

Depends on the dressing, balsamic vinegar on a salad is lovely and has SFA calories. Bit of mustard, olive oil and vinegar is lovely, again bugger all calories.

LirW

RoboRat wrote: »

Depends on the dressing, balsamic vinegar on a salad is lovely and has SFA calories. Bit of mustard, olive oil and vinegar is lovely, again bugger all calories.

That is a skinny dressing indeed and a delicious one too. But all the pre-made ones are usually heavy, even the balsamic whatever cream ones. Don't really like the taste, I usually mix all my dressings myself.
But then again I'm a biased kitchen nazi and fret about everything that's processed while munching the Aldi egg waffles.

riffmongous

Tuna, sweetcorn, fresh lettuce mix with plenty of rucola, small bit of mayonnaise, delicious

coffee_cake

Steak blue cheese walnut poached pear salad is lovely. Or chicken with pecan nuts and apple. Either with a bit of balsamic and honey as dressing.
Mmmm salad

_Dara_

A homemade dressing doesn't make the salad less healthy, OP. Nothing wrong with a bit of olive oil and lemon juice/vinegar.

kylith

Having an M&S salad for lunch: lentils, edamame, spinach, carrot, pomegranate, cous cous, and chickpea. Very tasty.

If you think salads are bland and boring, you're not doing them right.

Malari

kylith wrote: »

Having an M&S salad for lunch: lentils, edamame, spinach, carrot, pomegranate, cous cous, and chickpea. Very tasty.

If you think salads are bland and boring, you're not doing them right.

I think people think salad = lettuce.

And then people also think coleslaw and potato salad in loads of mayo = salad, therefore = good for you.

tayto lover

kylith wrote: »

Having an M&S salad for lunch: lentils, edamame, spinach, carrot, pomegranate, cous cous, and chickpea. Very tasty.

If you think salads are bland and boring, you're not doing them right.

The problem is that you'd be starving an hour after eating that.

Are Am Eye

tayto lover wrote: »

The problem is that you'd be starving an hour after eating that.

Not with Pasta Salad

Malari

tayto lover wrote: »

The problem is that you'd be starving an hour after eating that.

Cous cous is basically a pasta, so if you had enough of that with the other ingredients, why would you be starving?

kylith

tayto lover wrote: »

The problem is that you'd be starving an hour after eating that.

Nope, I have it with yogurt and fresh fruit. If I'm starving later I'll have a packet of popcorn which is very filling but light on calories.

Most of us eat too big portions anyway. You get used to smaller amounts if you eat them for a while. Anyway, cous cous is basically pasta and lentils are very filling.

Bambi985

kylith wrote: »

If you think salads are bland and boring, you're not doing them right.

I've tried those M&S ones, used to get their chilli chicken salad one if I was rushing to a meeting or there's another superfoods one with a bunch of nuts and edamame that's grand like, but I'd still be hungry an hour later. And I'm 5 ft 1 and about 110 pounds, I don't need a lot of food.

I think Seamus described it well - raw vegetables and nuts and seeds and leafy things in a big bowl just seems so airy and pointless as far as sustenance and satiation are concerned. Food is about energy and enjoyment to me and salad just seems so flaky on both of those grounds for me.

DoozerT6

I just treated meself to a falafal salad from Sprout. I think I may never need to eat again!

GerryDerpy

People in general have a bad understanding of what is required to lose weight.

Your body must be running on a calorie deficit for fat to go. You must expend more calories than you take in.

So, they think well I'll just eat a salad - less calories amirite?? Yes. But then you eat more food later on to make up for it.

Because us humans have biologically evolved to be great at storing energy as fat. We needed to when we were hunter gatherers because we would go days without food. We needed fat stores to chase down our prey over full days.

So, you have (on average) an inbuilt instinct to eat more calories than necessary to maintain a colorie equilibrium. This instinct would have made your ancestor more likely to survive than the 'naturally thin' person - read someone who doesn't stuff their face.

So go ahead and eat the salad. And then enjoy the digestive biscuit before bed time.

kylith

We'll have to agree to disagree so. I'm 5'6'' and 80kg and like I said, one of them, fruit, and a yogurt sees me through to dinner.

GerryDerpy

kylith wrote: »

We'll have to agree to disagree so. I'm 5'6'' and 80kg and like I said, one of them, fruit, and a yogurt sees me through to dinner.

Do you think that is light for that height?

kylith

GerryDerpy wrote: »

Do you think that is light for that height?

Nope. That's why all the salad, exercise, and keeping an eye on calorie intake. Just saying that a chubster like me does ok with M&S salads cos I've gotten used to having smaller portions.

GerryDerpy

kylith wrote: »

Nope. That's why all the salad, exercise, and keeping an eye on calorie intake. Just saying that a chubster like me does ok with M&S salads cos I've gotten used to having smaller portions.

Well good luck but keep in mind about your natural instinct to store calories. If you don't measure and write the intake down then odds are you will underestimate significantly. Your body is great at tricking you into eating more.

kylith

GerryDerpy wrote: »

Well good luck but keep in mind about your natural instinct to store calories. If you don't measure and write the intake down then odds are you will underestimate significantly. Your body is great at tricking you into eating more.

I use MyFitnessPal, which I find pretty good.

It doesn't need to know about the weekend though. That's my little secret.

GerryDerpy

kylith wrote: »

I use MyFitnessPal, which I find pretty good.

It doesn't need to know about the weekend though. That's my little secret.

Haha yeah I use it too. And minus the weekend too at times!

But there you go - you are being tricked into letting the weekend go because come Friday your body is screaming for more calories.

Sue Pa Key Pa

Salad is the food that my food eats

kylith

GerryDerpy wrote: »

Haha yeah I use it too. And minus the weekend too at times!

But there you go - you are being tricked into letting the weekend go because come Friday your body is screaming for more calories.

Nope. Come Saturday night my dad came up for the match, so there were biscuits and pints, then there was a big lunch before the match, a chipper afterward, and a few more beers before he headed off again. Very unlike a usual weekend for me where my biggest indulgence is avocado toast.

Galadriel

Thanks OP now all I can hear in my head is Homer singing 'You don't win friends with salad'

RacoonQueen

seamus wrote: »

I'm with you OP, I don't "get" salad. Which makes people look at you weird when you're vegetarian.

The vegetarian part is where you're going wrong. Can't have salad without chunks of meat. :pac:

Lettuce, tomato, meat, mixed peppers, cucumber...maybe some mozzerella and a bit of pesto (because nothing goes better than sweet tomatoes, mozzerella and green pesto) maybe a boiled egg or two. Eaten freshly made. Delicious.

I don't use dressing, of any kind. A fresh salad without dressing is tasty as hell. Read FRESH.

Sometimes I'll go mad and I'll do a chicken fillet and some chorizo and put all the yummy chorizo oil over the salad and mix it in, but thats just a extra special treat

judeboy101

xzanti wrote: »

I grew up in the 80s and had many a salad.

It usually consisted of the following:

A slice of corn beef
A slice of hang
A slice of cheese
Butter head lettuce
Beetroot from a jar
A boiled egg
Half a tomato
Some cucumber
Heinze Salad Cream

Did the job

Cucumber in the 1980's? Where were you living, D4?