Six Healthy Foods That Can Pack on Extra Calories

Sushi

This is not true to say that Sushi is a waistline-friendly meal. In fact, some of these commonly thought healthy Sushi rolls can pack on kilos/pounds. California Roll, Shrimp Tempura Roll, Salmon and Avocado Roll, Spicy Tuna Roll, Eel (Unagi in Japanese) is respectively at 255, 508, 308, 290 and 372 calories per roll. From this data, you can see that one Shrimp Tempura Roll packs 508 calories, which is equivalent to a quarter pound hamburger! If you have a carving for Sushi, you should be aware that most Sushi rolls are incorporated with mayo-based sauces, fried fish, and even cheeses. These include foods of caution for the calorie-counter. However, the overall calories, depends on how much you eat.

To make Sushi you eat healthier, I recommend you to pair it with small size seaweed salad, half a cup of green beans (or edamame in Japanese), a cup of green tea and miso soup. This will make your Sushi more health conscious!

Salads

Salad is the easiest way to serve on the dining table and is always considered as the healthiest diet.  Thus, it has been made as a healthier dining out option in the restaurant. However, you will be shocked to find that some of them are loaded with extremely higher unwanted fats and calories. One Pizzaria Uno’s Chicken Waldorf Salad packs 62g of fat and 920 calories, a Dairy Queen’s Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad packs 48g of fat and 680 calories, a Ruby Tuesday’s Grilled Salmon Salad packs 35g of fat and 590 calories, a Chilli’s Southwestern Cobb Salad packs 970 calories, a T.G.I. Friday’s Pecan-crusted Chicken Salad packs 50g of fat and 750 calories, a Chipotle Taco Salad packs with 950 calories, one Arby’s Santa Fe Salad packs with 55g of fat and 844 calories, while grilled vegetable and chicken salad from California Pizza Kitchen can come in at a whooping 1,044 calories.

Overall, the calories of a salad depend on its ingredients, the sauce used and how it is prepared. Each add-in of fruits or vegetables will contribute to a certain amount of calories in a salad. Beetroot, for example, contributes 7 calories per portion or 35 calories for each 100g, cucumbers contribute 2.5 calories per portion or 10 calories for each 100g, while carrots contribute 32 calories every 100g or 5 calories per portion.

If you are concerned about your health, always remember to order/make a normal size salad with lean protein (limit it to 3 ozs), fruits and colourful fibre-rich veggies (such as yellow peppers, shredded carrots, cabbages), and only choose one high-calorie addition from creamy dressing, nuts, grains, or dried fruits (such as cranberries, raisin). You could just shred away extra calories by using salsa as your dressing instead of sour cream/salad cream and shredded cheese. A combination of lemon juice and balsamic vinegar is also recommended for a healthy salad topping choice.