The Salad Scam (Maybe the Burger Isn’t Such a Bad Choice)
“I’ll have a salad…”
As if that means we’re eating the healthiest meal possible with no adverse effect on our weight loss goals. We usually do it with the mistaken impression that by ordering a salad we can go out with our friends and enjoy a nice meal while keeping a little sanity in our health and fitness plan.
But getting tricked into ordering a salad that’s almost as bad, or worse, than having the burger and fries ain’t cool bro…
We’ve spilled plenty of ink on dining out safely because it’s an important thing to be able to do. If you’ve read Football, Friends & Restaurants, then you know we’re big fans of eating at restaurants, hanging out with friends and enjoying all that life has to offer. But it’s also important to show the true cost, from a diet and health perspective, of what we’re ordering. Let’s pull back the curtain and look because the typical restaurant salad isn’t the harmless creature you think it is.
This isn’t an indictment of the salad but a reminder that where you go your health goes and everything you do to improve it or ruin it goes right along with you. It’s up to each of us to protect our health and realize we’re the only ones responsible for reaching our weight (fat) loss and physique goals.
Part of that responsibility is knowing exactly what we’re eating and understanding the psychological impact of the choices we make as well as what they do to us from a health standpoint. Ordering a salad and thinking we’re eating healthily is a gut-punch (pun intended) when you realize a burger and fries isn’t much worse in terms of calories and the effect it has on your weight loss and health goals. We know from Diet Breaks and Cheat Meals that splurging on the burger is often the boost you need to stay on target the rest of the time.
Since it’s featured in the article, we’ll use Buffalo Wild Wings as our primary example, with a couple of other spots I’m sure you’ll recognize. Chili’s was born in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, which is where we grew up, so we’ve spent lots of time there and we’re familiar with the menu. The final member of our panel is Applebee’s.
They’re popular places so you’ll know them from around town and from their commercials. If you believe any of them, especially Applebee’s, then you’ve already concluded you can’t be one of the cool kids, have friends or enjoy life unless you’re always there pounding drinks and putting away bottomless baskets of their food. If you look closely at the actors and their menu (linked below), you'll see it's impossible to look like them with the eating habits shown in their commercials.
But if you’re not aware of it by now you certainly will be when we’re done.
Restaurants take innocent, low-calorie, high-volume foods – like the vegetables that make up a salad – and combine them with add-ons that cost around half-a-day’s calories. We’ll see what a homemade salad looks like along with the number of calories, the volume of food you get and how it affects your daily eating goals compared to what you get by ordering an entrée salad at a restaurant.
We’ll also show you how to eat at each of the example restaurants without killing your progress. We’re not telling you to stay away from ordering a salad at a restaurant, or from restaurants, in general, but to educate you on exactly what’s out there. If you’re trying to stay on track while going out to eat, then you need to know how to order. You’ll find links to nutrition guides and menus in the reference section as well as a listing of the calories and macros for the salads we looked at along with the numbers on the burgers and the better options.
As always, we’re not saying you should or shouldn’t count calories, we’re just reminding you they’re the only thing that matters when it comes to losing weight or maintaining the loss you’ve already worked so hard to get. Along with calories, we’ll look at protein, carbs and fat. Macronutrients are important because they help with the weight loss/maintenance process, they fuel your body for maximum performance and they’re vital to certain health functions. Unfortunately, the Standard American Diet (SAD) is short on protein while being long on both carbs and fat, so, like calories, tracking them gives us optimal results.
Protein is our most important macronutrient. Proteins contain amino acids, which are the building block of cells, and they’re responsible for muscle synthesis and protection. While carbs aren’t the villains they’re always made out to be, there’s an awful lot of them in modern foods. In restaurant form, starchy carbs, like fats, are calorie-dense and the two of them are often used as plate fillers. We keep an eagle eye on dietary fat because, at nine calories per gram (compared to four for the other two), they drive up the calories quickly.
Calories determine weight loss or gain and they do so immediately. Macronutrients, over time, determine what that weight loss or gain looks like.
With that in mind, let’s belly up to the bar and see what’s going on…
The Score on the Salads:
The B-Dubs Nutrition Guide lists three entrée salads. The lowest is 890 calories and they go up to 1,100 calories for the largest.
Chili’s has two entrée salads, with two options for each, ranging from a fairly reasonable 530 calories up to 1,420 calories for the Quesadilla Explosion with Crispers.
Applebee’s lists six salads, with options for three of them, going from 860 calories up to a 2,240-calorie gut-bomb called the Quesadilla Chicken Salad.
We’ll compare these to our daily calorie requirements so you can get an idea of the danger when you walk into a restaurant with the mistaken notion that you’ll be okay if you just order a salad. We’ll also compare it to the ubiquitous “2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice, but calorie needs vary” you see printed on menus everywhere.
Henry’s Calories and Macros:
Based on my age, weight and activity level, my maintenance calories are 2,325 per day with a macronutrient breakdown of 165 grams of protein, 270 grams of carbs and 65 grams of fat.
Eva’s Calories and Macros:
Eva is younger and much lighter than I am, so her daily maintenance is right at 1,750 calories. She prefers a higher amount of protein each day for satiety issues so she goes with 150 grams of protein, 175 grams of carbs and 50 grams of fat.
Johnny Generic’s Calories and Macros:
We have no idea exactly how old he is, what he weighs or his activity level but reliable sources tell us his requirements are “2,000 calories per day for general nutrition advice.” We’ll use a maintenance-calorie ratio of 30% protein, 45% carbs and 25% fat. In that case, his daily totals are 150 grams of protein, 225 grams of carbohydrates and approximately 55 grams of dietary fat.
We’ll use these numbers to illustrate the amount of energy (calories) each of the salads has compared to what we should consume each day to maintain our current weight.
Don’t forget, losing weight will require a calorie deficit so what you see below is going to be even worse if you’re trying to diet to lose body fat. On top of that, during a dieting phase, we like to increase protein to protect lean tissue (muscle) and because eating more of it keeps you feeling full. Since the only way to reach your goal is to stay in the deficit for whatever amount of time is required to get there, we want to eat foods that keep us satiated and tamp down the cravings.
These are comparisons of the menu items only. It doesn’t include alcohol, appetizers, dessert or anything else. I’m pretty sure I’ve had far more calories from beer, appetizers and desserts. Definitely from beer.
Let’s grab a knife and fork, tuck in our napkins and get to work…
The Small Biggie
The entrée salad at Buffalo Wild Wings with the fewest calories is the Chicken Caesar Salad. It weighs in at 890 calories with 55 grams of protein, 33 grams of carbohydrates and 60 grams of dietary fat.
That’s almost 40% of my calories while providing only 30% of my protein requirements, 21% of a day’s carbs but 92% of the dietary fat I’m allowed per day.
For Eva, it’s a whopping 51% of a day’s eating while being responsible for around 37% of her daily protein requirements and close to 20% of her carbs. If she’s eating the same amount, calories-wise, as she did in the salad, she gets to eat almost once more. Sadly, she used up all her dietary fat for the day and will need to borrow 25% from tomorrow.
If you’re Johnny Generic, the smallest entrée salad is 45% of your day’s calories. That’s right… almost half a day in a salad. It will give you 35% of your protein requirement, 15% of your day’s carbs and, like Eva, you’ll be borrowing some dietary fat from tomorrow. Good luck with that…
If this is the most reasonable entrée salad available, it’s easy to see how America has gotten into trouble. The smallest one is around half a day’s calories. You can also see why we keep an eagle-eye on dietary fat. If you go to a restaurant, eat a “salad” and use up an entire day’s worth of fat, then something’s wrong. To be fair, Chili’s does have the Santa Fe Chicken Salad with Grilled Chicken that comes in at 530 calories but it’s high in fat. You’re going to see it only gets worse.
The Big Daddy
B-Dubs’ biggest salad, the Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing definitely fights in the heavyweight division, coming in at 1,100 calories with 48 grams of protein, 53 grams of carbohydrates and 78 grams of dietary fat.
That works out to almost 50% of my daily calories while providing 30% of my protein and 20% of my carbohydrate allotment but it chews up 120% of my daily fat allowance.
However, that’s almost 70% of Eva’s calories in one sitting. It gives her 32% of her protein requirement and 30% of the carbs she needs but once again, she’ll need to go into tomorrow – a little past halfway this time – to borrow enough dietary fat to make up for the overage.
The Big Daddy provided Johnny with 55% of his daily calories while covering 32% of his protein requirements. He got 21% of a day’s carbs but like Eva and I, he’s in line to take out a loan at the fat bank. In his case, he’ll need to borrow almost half a day’s worth to cover the debt.
By moving up to the bigger salad option we’re spending at least half a day’s calories in one meal. I don’t think anyone is aware they’re consuming this many calories when they order a salad at a restaurant. If you’ve already had breakfast and this is your lunch, then you’re close to being out of calories with the afternoon and dinner still left. If this is dinner, then it’s virtually guaranteed you’ve gone over unless you’ve been fasting all day.
The Fat Bastard
A salad that would make Dr. Evil proud. It has so many calories he wouldn’t even have to sell Mini-Me to Fat Bastard so he could have “the other, other white meat” for a midnight snack. If the Big Daddy is in the heavyweight division, then Applebee’s Quesadilla Chicken Salad waddled right past super-heavyweight into Sumo territory. You’ll need a beefed-up foundation to support its 2,240 calories, 123 grams of protein, 89 grams of carbohydrates and whopping 153 grams of dietary fat.
I’m the only one of the three of us that’s man enough to take on this hog in one sitting. I’ll have 85 calories left over but I can spend that on a delicious after-dinner mint and I’ll be set. I’d better be because I won’t be eating again until tomorrow. But of the three of us, I’m the lucky one.
After battling this monster, Eva won’t be eating again until deep into the next day. Fortunately, she got 82% of her protein so she’s got that going for her. She went low-carb because today’s only meal provided 33% of her needs. Tragically, she’ll need three days before she’s allowed to consume any dietary fat. How she’ll go fat-free for that long is a question they haven’t addressed in their catchy commercials.
Johnny G. is going to have to go almost as long as Eva without eating again. Just like her, he got 82% of his protein while lowering his carbs to 40% of his daily share. Since misery loves company, the two of them can suffer together because he’s going just over two and a half days without a single globule of fat.
Nigel Tufnel would love this one because it goes to 11. They dumped an entire quesadilla on top just in case the rest of it wasn’t ostentatious enough. I looked all over but couldn’t find Cedric’s famous Baby Back Caesar because I was curious if it’s any worse than this one. I love my baby back, baby back, baby back ribs as much as anyone else but I’m not going to ruin them by putting them on some lettuce, if you know what I mean.
We’ve taken a deep dive on the lowly – in everything but calories – restaurant salad and, as we come to the surface, let’s see what a homemade salad looks like compared to what we’ve just seen. This home-grown salad is huge, has lots of protein and is reasonable on fat. It’s big on volume so you’ll be feeling full for hours. We’re not telling you to have a salad only when you’re at home but to raise the questions: what’s the difference and where exactly did they get the extra calories?
I put this one together at home but in homage to the ease of ordering it at a restaurant, I used a ready-made salad from the supermarket with toppings I purchased while I was there and pan seared chicken I did at home. The salad has lettuce, spinach, green, yellow and red bell peppers, grape tomatoes, radish, carrots and mushrooms. I went as big as I could by using two of them, 8 ounces of chicken breast cooked in butter, 3 servings of lite salad dressing and 2 servings each of real bacon crumbles and croutons along with an entire serving of shredded cheese.
The Homie
My homemade salad came out to 638 calories, with 71 grams of protein, 56 grams of carbs and a svelte 18 grams of dietary fat.
This salad was made by me, and for me, so it fits perfectly, number-wise, with a normal meal. It comes out to 27% of my daily calories but gives me 43% of my protein along with 21% of my daily carb allowance while only taking up 28% of my day’s fat allotment. It gives me 13% more protein than the Small Biggie with about the same number of carbs but 64% less fat and that lowers the impact to my daily calories by 13%.
This salad is a little bit bigger than what Eva would make for herself so it works out to be 36% of her daily calories while providing a sturdy 47% of her protein needs. It gives her 32% of the carbs she’s allowed and 36% of her daily fat. Even though it’s bigger than what she would normally fix herself at home, the calorie impact is still 15% less than what it would be with the Small Biggie. She increases her protein by 10% and her carbs go up by 16% but the fat intake comes down by a massive 89% of her daily allowance. And that means she still has 32 grams of fat left to eat throughout the day instead of having to borrow from tomorrow.
Johnny is only going to eat 32% of the calories he’s allowed in a day. He’ll meet 47% of his protein needs, 25% of a day’s carbs and use up 33% of his daily allowance for dietary fat. His daily calories are impacted 13% less than with the Small Biggie. He’ll get 12% more protein with an increase of 10% of his daily carbs but at a huge savings of 77% of his daily fat. He, too, ends up with dietary fat left over for the day.
You can see from the photos that it’s a good-looking salad and fills up a large bowl while being a little more than 250 calories less than the Small Biggie. I cooked the chicken in butter, it has cheese and – yes! – two servings of bacon along with a double shot of croutons. It’s a large portion, has lots of tummy-filling volume while giving you tons of protein while being gentle on the fat. You can see that it’s a far better option than the smallest of our restaurant salads, especially if you’ve gone out to eat thinking that by ordering a salad you’re not doing any damage to your progress. If you were starving and ordered the Big Daddy or the Fat Bastard then this one blows it away because it’s 472 calories less than the Big Daddy and a humongous 1,602 calories under the Fat Bastard.
If you’ve gone for one of the bigger salads and totally wrecked a day or two worth of eating, you might wonder if maybe you should’ve just ordered a burger and fries, like you really wanted. If a cheeseburger and fries at one of these places is around 1,200 calories, you have to be thinking how is it possible that a salad packs almost as much wallop? Let’s throw an eyeball on it and see how it stacks up.
The 411 on the Burgers:
Buffalo Wild Wings All-American Cheeseburger with a side of fries – 1,240 calories
Chili’s Old Timer with cheese and a side of fries – 1,260 calories
Applebee’s Classic Cheeseburger with a side of fries – 1,220 calories
The Cheeseburger and Fries
The Buffalo Wild Wings All-American Cheeseburger with French fries has 1,240 calories with 52 grams of protein, 116 grams of carbs and 64 grams of dietary fat.
For me, that’s half a day’s calories in this delicious burger (and it’s a pretty decent hamburgie) while giving me 32% of my daily protein. The bun and fries carb it up a bit so it’s 43% of my allotment but I’m done for the day on the fat intake since it hits the 98% mark.
Ordering the burger costs Eva 70% of her calories but getting 34% of a day’s protein does a slightly better job for her than it does for me. The carbs are 66% of her daily limit, but once again, she’s in fat prison to the tune of just over a day and a quarter.
Our nebulous universal eater, Johnny Generic, wipes out 62% of his day’s energy allotment while getting 34% of the protein he needs to maintain his invisible physique. It’s over half a day’s carbs, at 52%, and, just like Eva, he’s going to go almost a quarter of the way into tomorrow to pay off the fat loan he took out.
At least with the cheeseburger and fries, we still get a little bit of lettuce along with tomato, pickles and onions. That’s a salad, right?
It’s a pretty hefty price tag, from a calorie standpoint, but let’s be clear we just ate a two-handed burger and a pile of French fries. That’s a completely different animal, especially from a psychological perspective. I’m not saying salads are bad but let’s face it, no one goes to a backyard barbeque for one. We’re going for burgers and dogs. I’m just saying, if your buddy called you up and invited you to a pool party featuring a giant bowl of salad, you’d magically come up with a weekend project to organize your sock drawer.
If you’re going out to eat and you’ve decided to stay on track then you can still enjoy yourself if you’re careful about what you order. Here are a couple of suggestions for each of these places. While we looked at both calories and macronutrients in the salads, there are going to be times when you’re just not able to hit your macros or, at the least, get enough protein. That’s okay, as long as you remember that calories are the only thing responsible for weight loss or gain. Keep the calories in check and you’ll keep your progress on track.
Of the three, Applebee’s has the fewest options that work when you’re attempting to stay on-target. There’s a 6-ounce sirloin that’s 560 calories, including sides, that will do the trick. You can also pair one of the soups with a house salad and, if you’re careful with the dressing, you can stay within your calories but you’ll be light on protein. There’s a Grilled Chicken Breast, also with sides, that comes in at 550 calories so that’s another option.
Chili’s Guiltless Grill has several alternatives that work, at least from a calorie standpoint. They’re complete entrées that range from 300 calories for the 6-ounce sirloin up to 630 calories for the Margarita Grilled Chicken. Except for the Ancho Salmon, I’ve had them all and have never been disappointed. They’re served with steamed vegetables, or rice and black beans in the case of the chicken, and a few of them are solid on the macronutrients as well. The Santa Fe Chicken Salad, briefly mentioned above, is only 530 calories but it packs a punch with almost 60% of its calories coming from fat.
I’ve eaten at B-Dubs for years and one of my favorites is the Garden Side Salad with 5 Naked Tenders. I usually ask for salsa on the side to use as the dressing or I’ll dip my fork in a small cup of medium wing sauce. You can also ask for one of the traditional dressings on the side and, by dipping your fork in it, you’ll dramatically reduce the number of calories. Eva is a big fan of using fresh-squeezed lemon along with salt and pepper on her salad. Minus whatever I use for the dressing, it comes in under 400 calories with almost 70 grams of protein and less than 7 grams of fat. I’ve amped up the protein by tossing in an additional order of 3 Naked Tenders. The cool thing about ordering this way is we can split a small order of traditional wings, with sauce on the side, and get to enjoy restaurant food we love without a significant impact.
To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with going to restaurants, hanging out with friends or enjoying a salad or burger. But if you’re having lunch with your coworkers a couple of days per week or going out to dinner a few nights a week you can see that neither the burger nor the salad is going to fit into any sort of healthy lifestyle. If you’re doing so with the mistaken idea that by ordering a salad you’re not hurting your progress, then you can understand why you’re not seeing any.
As we’ve always said, there’s psychology involved in dieting. When you get frustrated it’s easy to give up and quit. Identifying the issue, like we have here, is the first step on the path to correcting it and getting back on the right track. Once you start seeing progress, the psychology flips and, suddenly, your confidence soars. More success usually follows.
You’ve heard it before and you’ll continue hearing it. Picture yourself as someone who is healthy and fit – even if you’re not there yet – and who makes good decisions when it comes to eating. Your mind will guide you where you want to go. It’ll even help you indulge in treats and cheat meals that allow you to enjoy life while keeping you on track.
Remember, a lifetime of health is made up of a lifetime of healthy habits.
Life is supposed to be fun – not always easy but fun – and it’s up to us to make it that way. Taking the time to understand the dangers that lurk on a restaurant menu will open your eyes to the pitfalls at restaurants, hotels and anywhere else that tries to sell you food. Learning how to eat at those places will keep your progress rolling no matter where you are. Once that happens, the frustration that inevitably leads to throwing in the towel will disappear and you’ll add a new dimension to your enjoyment of life.
And that’s the way it should be…
Regards,
Henry
“I premonished no return of the salad days…” – H.I. “Hi” McDunnough
Buffalo Wild Wings Nutrition & Allergen Guide
Buffalo Wild Wings All-American Cheeseburger with fries: 1,240 calories with 52 grams protein, 116 grams carbohydrates, 64 grams dietary fat
Buffalo Wild Wings Chicken Caesar Salad with Caesar Dressing: 890 calories with 55 grams protein, 33 grams carbohydrates, 60 grams dietary fat
Buffalo Wild Wings Honey BBQ Chicken Salad with Ranch Dressing: 960 calories with 39 grams protein, 50 grams carbohydrates, 68 grams dietary fat
Buffalo Wild Wings Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing: 1,100 calories, with 48 grams protein, 53 grams carbohydrates, 78 grams dietary fat
Buffalo Wild Wings Garden Side Salad (dressing extra): 90 calories with 5 grams protein, 8 grams carbohydrates, 4.5 grams dietary fat
Buffalo Wild Wings Naked Tenders (5 count): 260 calories with 61 grams protein, 0 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams dietary fat
Chili’s Old Timer with cheese and fries: 1,260 calories with 54 grams protein, 104 grams carbohydrates, 70 grams dietary fat
Chili’s Santa Fe Chicken Salad with Grilled Chicken: 530 calories with 33 grams protein, 24 grams carbohydrates, 35 grams dietary fat
Chili’s Santa Fe Chicken with Crispers: 780 calories with 28 grams protein, 42 grams carbohydrates, 57 grams dietary fat
Chili’s Quesadilla Explosion Salad with Grilled Chicken: 1,170 calories with 56 grams protein, 68 grams carbohydrates, 77 grams dietary fat
Chili’s Quesadilla Explosion Salad with Crispers: 1,420 calories with 51 grams protein, 86 grams carbohydrates, 99 grams dietary fat
Chili’s House Side Salad (dressing extra): 130 calories with 5 grams protein, 12 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams dietary fat
Chili’s Shrimp added: 60 calories with 11 grams protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, 2 grams dietary fat
Applebee’s Menu Nutrition Facts
Applebee’s Classic Cheeseburger with a side of fries: 1,220 calories with 39 grams protein, 95 grams carbohydrates, 72 grams dietary fat
Applebee’s Caesar Salad with Blackened Shrimp: 860 calories with 31 grams protein, 56 grams carbohydrates, 58 grams dietary fat
Applebee’s Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken: 980 calories with 56 grams protein, 55 grams carbohydrates, 64 grams dietary fat
Applebee’s Strawberry Balsamic Chicken Salad: 910 calories with 52 grams protein, 69 grams carbohydrates, 50 grams dietary fat
Applebee’s Grilled Chicken Salad: 1,030 calories with 62 grams protein, 57 grams carbohydrates, 64 grams dietary fat
Applebee’s Crispy Chicken Tender Salad with Grilled Chicken: 1,030 calories with 62 grams protein, 57 grams carbohydrates, 64 grams dietary fat
Applebee’s Crispy Chicken Tender Salad: 1,230 calories with 45 grams protein, 80 grams carbohydrates, 82 grams dietary fat
Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad with Grilled Chicken: 1,560 calories with 40 grams protein, 118 grams carbohydrates, 105 grams dietary fat
Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad with Crispy Chicken: 1,030 calories with 62 grams protein, 57 grams carbohydrates, 64 grams dietary fat
Applebee’s Quesadilla Chicken Salad: 2,240 calories with 123 grams protein, 89 grams carbohydrates, 153 grams dietary fat
Applebee’s House Salad: 140 calories with 6 grams protein, 14 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams dietary fat
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