Apples are perceived as healthy, no ambiguity here. A cupcake, though delicious, would never be considered a diet or healthy choice. But the term salad is very different. Salad inherently carries a health halo – a good-for-you choice. In many cases this may not be the case.
A research study explored how easy it was to trip up a well-meaning eater by simply manipulating the name of a food. People in the study were told they would be eating a dish made of vegetables, pasta, salami and cheese served on a bed of romaine lettuce with an herb vinaigrette dressing. For one group the dish was called the daily pasta special for a second group the dish was called the daily salad special. This dish, when served in the typical 4 to 6-cup restaurant portion is no dieters delight and easy could pack 800-plus calories, more if a creamy dressing is chosen Yet, call it a salad and people are fooled into thinking it is a good choice.
Two cups of tossed salad, minus the dressing has 22 calories. Add an avocado and the calories jumb to 90. Two cups of a Greek salad (with dressing) has 323 calories, a chef salad (without dressing) has 357 calories, and the same amount of a Caesar salad has 367 calories. So much for the word salad indicating a diet food. And, keep in mind that most main dish salads have at the least a 4-cup portion which pushes the calories up even more.
