7 Ways Your Salad is Making You Fat

Ditching these toppings will cut major calories and bad fat. Here is how to slim it down.

Many people think that by ordering a salad they are eating healthy—and in many cases they are absolutely right. A heaping serving of greens and vegetables is low in calories and provides a bounty of vitamins and minerals along with a nice dose of fiber and antioxidants. However, some salads start off healthy, but wind up anything but for all the calories and fat plopped on top. In fact, an piled-on salad bar feast can pack half a day’s worth or more of fat and calories.

This is not to say that salads must be limited to cucumbers, tomatoes, and a spritz of lemon or vinegar. Well-chosen toppings can turn a salad into a hearty, nutritionally-balanced meal. Here are the ingredients to add—and the salad ingredients to skip—from Tanya Zuckerbrot, RD, author of The F-Factor Diet.