5 Things to Never Put in Your Salad If You Want to Lose Weight

When you're looking to top a salad with protein, meats, like turkey breast or chicken, can be a good option. But, sandwich meats are high in sodium and nitrates, making them not so great for your nutrition goals.

"There are better ways to find protein for your salad, especially since the sodium overload in deli meat may make you overeat, is dehydrating, and can cause bloating," Maggie Moon, MS, RD, and author of The MIND Diet, tells POPSUGAR.

For instance, "There are 60 calories per 60-gram turkey breast, but 510 mg sodium. And in three ounces of pork salami, you'll find 1,080 mg sodium and close to 300 calories."

A better option, says Moon? Eggs. "They're one of the only food sources of vitamin D (from the yolk), and the whites have filling protein for not a lot of calories: 70-80 calories per hard-boiled egg," she says.

Translation? Nuts coated in sugar. When you're looking to trim down, you'll want to reduce your sugar intake, so these candied nuts won't be much help. In fact, they'll only add calories and derail your diet.

"Sugar-coating adds harmful calories to an otherwise superhealthy food. Americans get too many of their daily calories from just this kind of added sugar, and it can lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease," says Moon. Think: 190 calories per one-ounce candied pecans, she says.

A healthier choice would be fresh fruit for a sweet fix. "If you’re looking for something sweet in your salad, add fresh fruit for natural sweetness, hydration, antioxidants, fibre, and other essential nutrients. These fruits go great in salads: fresh table grapes, blueberries, strawberries, and mandarin orange segments," says Moon.

And, don't go dried, here. Dried fruit is high in sugar and calories (like Craisins), so they should be avoided.

Yes, adding greens to pasta is a good diet trick, as it reduces the amount of pasta you'd be eating in favour of leafy greens and fibre. Yet, the reverse? Bad news, here. That pasta is just weighing down your otherwise healthy salad and is taking up valuable space that could be used for extra greens and protein.

"Steer clear of adding premade pasta salad to your salad. You don't know how it was made. It's probably full of white flour that will make your blood sugar spike and crash and drenched in dressing so it's also a calorie bomb," says Moon.

If you really need a grain, choose something that contains a good amount of protein and fibre. "Go for healthier grains and get some plant protein while you’re at it by adding quinoa to your salad. Other great whole-grain options to add healthy carbs to a salad are wild rice, farro, barley, and sorghum. Their fibre and B vitamins will keep you full and energised," says Moon.

Once those toppings are set, it's time for dressing. Even if you decided not to go for bacon, it doesn't mean you should load on the Caesar or ranch dressing, either. (Though, kudos on ditching the processed meats!)

"Creamy, store-bought dressings like a Caesar can contain excessive amounts of preservatives, fat, and added sugars in comparison to a lovely flavorful herb dressing made with olive oil and a little mustard at home," says Elizabeth Ann Shaw, MS, RDN, CLT, and author of Fertility Foods to POPSUGAR.

"Two tablespoons = 180 calories, 18 grams total fat, 290 gm sodium," she says. Instead, make your own or go with olive oil. And, if you do want a creamy dressing, just use a forkful and spread it rather than drizzling it freely.

Of course, you might not throw French fries on your salad, but be cautious about fried foods in general, like those that are veg-based, for instance. Vegetables don't automatically mean healthy, as it depends on the preparation.

"Fried onion toppers are delicious, without question, but they are addicting and hard to keep in portion control!," says Shaw.

A better plan: get a crunch and a bit of salt from nuts, without the candied texture.

"Instead of those bacon bits and fried onions, get the crunch you crave with the heart healthy goodness from nuts, like roasted and salted pistachios. The green and purple hues provide a lovely pop of colour to your salads and come from antioxidants, the good guys that help fight off of free radicals (aka, the bad guys that can make you sick.) Plus, pistachios provide fibre and plant protein to give your salad an extra nutrition boost," she explains.