Although its calorie count is lower than fries, the salad packs more fat and saturated fat, and slightly more sodium.
One-size-fits-all is a big bowl of lies, and so are salads. According to a new scientific study that is definitely too good to be taken at face value, something deep fried and carby might be the best option next time you're cruising past the drive-through.
A good burger gives you plenty of energy, protein and a lot of fibre; all of these help you feel satiated. Salads do contain a lot of vegetables that carry vitamins, minerals, and fibre. But the problem is they often lack overall energy and protein.
Because of their starch content, french fries are a high-glycemic food, posing a cardiovascular and metabolic health risk. However, they are high in fibre, water, and nutrients, which are beneficial. Therefore, limiting them and viewing them as an unhealthy once-in-a-while treat rather than a staple may be wise.
Unfortunately, there are no concrete numbers for what moderation means for different people. For some, having a plate of fries once a week might be fine. For others, twice a month may be a better idea. “Everyone should limit their intake of fried foods, but there is not a one-size-fits-all answer,” Cox says.
Eating them once a week or less would likely have a negligible effect on your health. Portion size matters. This study didn't provide details of how many fries study subjects ate at one sitting, but an "official" serving is just 10 to 15 individual fries (130–150 calories).
Eating salad every day is a great habit to get into. Salads made with a variety of fruits and vegetables make the perfect healthy lunch or dinner. That's because they're filled with tons of nutrients that benefit your body, like fiber, vitamin E, and vitamin C.
Most salad greens contain essential dietary nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, and even water. "They also provide fiber, which is beneficial in many areas, including cardiovascular and gastrointestinal health.
If you're following a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet and are enjoying the salad as a meal, says Siegel, aim for no more than 500 to 600 calories per serving.
Most potato salads are not healthy to eat, because they are usually made with gobs of mayo and/or sour cream, a high-fat ingredient (and we're not talking the good kind of fat). Greek yogurt offers the same creaminess as mayo, but with the bonus of health benefits, like protein and calcium.
Similarly, eating fries everyday will increase your risk of experiencing negative health effects (not as much as smoking mind you), but doesn't guarantee you will experience any negative consequences. Another problem – yes, there are more problems – with nutrition is we don't eat in isolation.
But, alas, the fresh-cut potatoes, fried in peanut oil, were named the Worst Regular Order of Fries. The nutritional breakdown of a large order: 1,464 calories, 71 g fat (14 g saturated) and 213 mg sodium.
When the cravings for French fries hit, address the root cause, and pick healthier alternatives to satisfy those cravings – roasted chickpeas, baked sweet potato fries, popcorn are some options for you.
"Eating salads on a daily basis as part of an overall healthy lifestyle may support gradual weight loss over time," says Karnatz. "This is because leafy greens are low in calories and high in volume and fiber, which will keep you satisfied for longer," she adds.
As long as you're incorporating a wide variety of ingredients (different types of vegetables, fruits, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds, protein sources, etc.) and regularly switching things up, that daily salad can easily be a nutritional powerhouse that supplies many of the vitamins and minerals your body needs.
As you can see, fitting healthy salads into your diet provides a variety of benefits. Not only are the packed full of healthy nutrients, but they can also help you feel full, give your body better access to vitamins and minerals, assist you with weight loss, and even keep you cool.
So, theoretically, a 30-day salad diet can indeed be healthy and yield weight loss, but you need to be careful when choosing the ingredients and dressings. The widespread belief holds that all salads are low-calorie, but that is a dangerous belief, one able to destroy all your attempts to shed your pounds.
Is salad good for losing belly fat? Salads that contain fresh green leafy vegetables such as palak or spinach, cabbage and so on are especially great for burning down the fat that is stored around the belly area.
These bacteria love snacking on high-fiber foods like fruits and vegetables. When they metabolize their meals, they create by-products — one of those by-products is the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin. In fact, about 95% of your serotonin is produced in your gastrointestinal tract.
Acrylamide is a chemical created in certain foods that are cooked at high temperatures. Because chips are sliced so thin and fried so hot, they're even heavier in acrylamide than French fries (which, sadly, 7 out of 9 experts warn against).
Take a good look and you'll probably find that the nutritional stats of their fries are nothing short of horrifying. A medium portion of fries includes 340 calories, 16 grams of fat and 44 grams of carbs.