How to make a healthier salad [Infographic]

A “salad” doesn’t always mean “healthy.” Often overloaded with calorie-packed dressings or fried toppings, a dish that should scream “green and healthy!” ends up screaming “greasy and heavy!”

For example, McDonald’s Ceasar salad contained 425 calories compared to 253 calories of a standard burger.

Thankfully, with a few modifications, any salad can make a healthy meal.

This infographic from Greatist shows you exactly how to do that by starting with 4 key ingredients:

1. Greens (lettuce, spinach, kale, etc)
2. Protein (chicken, tuna, steak, eggs, etc)
3. Vegetables (cucumber, onion, carrots, olives, etc)
4. Fruits (avocado, apples, berries, grape, etc)
5. Dressings (olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, etc)

Then, if you want to, you can add bonus ingredients such as:

1. Grains (whole-wheat, higher-protein sources of course, like quinoa)
2. Crunch (nuts, seeds, bacon, etc)
3. Extras (cheeses, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, etc)

Source: Greatist.

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