Salad Nutrition Information
There are many different salad options aside from a green salad, each with its own ingredients and benefits. The nutritional value of a salad depends on its ingredients and the dressings used.
Green Leaf Salads
Green leaf lettuce salads are some of the most popular salads. Recipes include plain iceberg lettuce, leaf spinach and baby mixed greens such as mesclun mixes. For those using crisp iceberg lettuce as a salad base, 1 cup of shredded iceberg lettuce has about 10 calories. Bibb lettuce, a softer leaf lettuce, has about 7 calories per cup. Spinach salads usually pack the most nutrients, as 1 cup of raw spinach is packed with beta carotene and contains just 7 calories.
Pasta Salads
Pasta salads are great for lunch or for dinner, for cold days or for hot afternoons. The healthiest pasta salads are made with a vinaigrette dressing and have fresh vegetables chopped and mixed in. Pasta salads are also made with mayonnaise dressings. The heavier the dressing, the more calories that are added to the salad. Pastas come in different varieties. A 6-ounce portion of plain cooked noodles contains about 220 calories. The same size portion of spinach pasta also contains about 220 calories. Tortellini--a stuffed pasta made with different fillings--is popular in salads. Cheese-filled tortellini has about 340 calories for a 1-cup portion.
Vegetable Salads
Vegetable salads are those that contain mainly vegetables, not just green leaf lettuce. Vegetables that are popular in salads include beets, peppers, corn, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, fennel and artichokes. Nutrient and caloric values depend on the vegetables used. Vegetable salads are also more healthy if prepared with fresh vegetables rather than canned varieties.
Protein-Based Salads
Protein-based salads--such as chicken salad, ham salad and tuna salad--are very popular served either on their own or as sandwich fillings. They are all usually mayonnaise-based salads. Ham salad contains the most calories at about 184 per 3-ounce portion. A 3-ounce portion of chicken salad contains about 170 calories, and a 3-ounce portion of tuna salad has about 159 calories.
Ethnic Salads
Ethnic salads--such as Greek salad or caprese salad--contain ingredients popular to a specific country or region and typically are made the same way no matter what cookbook you find the recipe in. For example, an American potato salad usually contains cooked chopped potatoes with a mayonnaise base. A Greek salad contains lettuce with tomatoes, olives and feta cheese. An Italian caprese salad generally contains fresh basil, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Recipes containing fresh vegetables and lighter dressings are more healthy than those with a heavy, mayonnaise-based dressing.
Fruit Salads
Fruit salads are generally light and fresh and usually are served chilled. Popular fruit choices for salads include melons, strawberries, bananas and apples. Fruit salads with a light sweetened vinaigrette dressing are much better for you than those made with a whipped cream or non-dairy topping base.
Dressings and Vinaigrettes
Dressings and vinaigrettes either help combine the salad ingredients together or are used as a topping. Vinaigrettes contain oil, vinegar and seasonings and are generally lower in fat and calories than heavier creamy dressings. Low-fat and fat-free versions of salad dressings are available as well.
Tags: about calories, made with, 3-ounce portion, contains about, contains about calories