As I ordered that salad, I felt pretty good that I have again beaten the temptation of devouring that cheese dripping Panini and made a healthy choice, yet again. I love salads, pretty much any kind. Lots of greens and veggies combined with turkey or chicken, some nuts, and a light dressing makes for a perfect lunch.
On a recent trip to London, UK, I was trying to order a salad and was amazed at how fewer the choices were. Finally, when my salad arrived, it was just lettuce, spinach, carrots, and tomatoes. Oh, how much I love my American salads! However, this made me thinking. What is a right kind of “healthy” salad? Are we just fooling ourselves (or getting fooled) that we are eating a healthy meal – a salad, but not reducing our calorie intake and therefore not seeing an impact on our waistline. When salads are loaded with tortilla chips, lots of meat, nuts, bacon, and a full fat dressing, etc., it is packing way more calories and fats, which is actually defeating the purpose of having a salad. In fact, many salads are unhealthier than a regular burger (read Men’s Health article “20 salads worse than a whopper”).
Then, came my entrée. Interestingly, it was probably half the size of what I would have got in America. Another questions that came to my mind – what is the right portion size? Was the salad I got in London the right size, or the salads I get here in the US, the right size?It is no secret thatAmerican portion sizes have significantly grown over the past two decades. As per National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Portion Distortion, “Anyone eating on the run or at restaurants has probably noticed that food portions have gotten larger. Some portions are called “super size,” while others have simply grown in size and provide enough food for at least two people. With this growth have come increases in waistlines and body weight.”
This unconscious eating and larger portions has already started crating havoc to our health. Today, obesity is reaching epidemic proportions. As per WHO, one in every third adult is obese in the US. Although obesity is becoming a global phenomenon, Europe is still far healthier and fit than we Americans (Prevalence of obesity in percent: US-34.1, UK-24.9, Germany-21.3, Spain-24.1, Italy-17.2, France-15.6).
Therefore, let’s learn something from our healthier European friends – eat salads like salads are meant to be and mind your portions. This will not only help your pocket, but your health too. Finally, be a smart shopper, don’t get fooled by the catchy advertisement and learn how to read food labels.
Helping You to Help Yourself,
IControlMyHealth Editorial Team
References:
1. Overweight and obesity. http://www.who.int/gho/ncd/risk_factors/overweight/en/index.html. Accessed August 5, 2013
2. Portion Distortion and Serving Size. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/eat-right/distortion.htm. Accessed August 5, 2013
3. Portion Distortion! Do You Know How Food Portions Have Changed in 20 Years?http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/portion/index.htm Accessed August 5, 2013.
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