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Salads That Are Worse Than a Slice of Cheese Pizza

Salads That Are Worse Than a Slice of Cheese Pizza

Waiter serving a large buffet table full of delicious food. Unrecognizable Caucasian male, professional in white apron and uniform. Remember when some iceberg lettuce — maybe with some shredded carrot and a slice of cucumber — and dressing qualified as a salad? Though American cuisine has come a long way since, plenty of questionable and unhealthy food combinations masquerade as salad these days.

If you’re trying to watch your calorie or sodium intake, don’t assume that a fast food salad is automatically a healthy choice. Many such salads are packed with extra calories in the form of crispy noodles, fried chicken, cheese, and sugary dressings. Here 17 other examples of healthy foods that are actually ruining your diet.

24/7 Tempo compiled a list of salads you can buy that have more calories than an average slice of cheese pizza. While a single serving slice of pizza has 452 calories, all of the salads on the list have over 500 calories, and some have double and even triple that amount. Many contain more sodium than cheese pizza as well. In fact, some of these pre-made salads dish out more than the American Heart Association’s recommended daily limit of sodium of 2,300 mg.

When it comes to high sodium intake, which can increase blood pressure and risk of stroke, heart failure, and kidney disease, keep in mind that over 70% of the sodium that Americans consume comes in the form of packaged or prepared foods, and that includes restaurant salads.

Making your own salad with a simple oil and vinegar dressing can help you keep an eye on both your calorie and sodium intake. Salad portions at restaurants are often enough to feed two or three people, so if you must order one, remember to monitor your portion size. You can also order a fast food item that has few calories — believe it or not, they do exist.

Methodology

To compile a list of salads that are worse than a slice of cheese pizza, 24/7 Tempo reviewed nutrition information for hundreds of salads offered by dozens of restaurant chains. Only salads with more calories than a slice of cheese pizza were considered.

Source: Courtesy of TGI Fridays / TGIFridays.com

Million Dollar Cobb Salad with Grilled Salmon and Ranch Dressing
> Retailer: TGI Friday’s
> Calories: 1,110
> Sodium: 2,430 mg

Source: Courtesy of Cheesecake Factory / Thecheesecakefactorylb.com

Sheila’s Chicken Avocado Salad
> Retailer: Cheesecake Factory
> Calories: 1,840
> Sodium: 2,130 mg

Source: Courtesy of Bob Evans / BobEvans.com

Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad with Sweet Italian Dressing
> Retailer: Bob Evans
> Calories: 870
> Sodium: 2,230 mg

 

Source: Courtesy of Applebees / Applebees.com

Oriental Grilled Chicken Salad
> Retailer: Applebee’s
> Calories: 1,480
> Sodium: 2,300 mg

Source: Courtesy of California Pizza Kitchen / Cpk.com

Roasted Veggie

Roasted Veggie Salad with Fat-Free Vinaigrette
> Retailer: California Pizza Kitchen
> Calories: 830
> Sodium: 1,150 mg

Source: Courtesy of Cheesecake Factory / Cheesecakefactory.com

Santa Fe Salad
> Retailer: Cheesecake Factory
> Calories: 1,680
> Sodium: 2,498 mg

Source: Courtesy of Panera Bread / Panerabread.com

Southwest Chili Lime Ranch Salad with Chicken
> Retailer: Panera Bread
> Calories: 670
> Sodium: 1,260 mg

Source: Courtesy of Friendly's / Friendlys.com

Fried Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad
> Retailer: Friendly’s
> Calories: 805
> Sodium: 1,926 mg

Source: Courtesy of TGI Fridays / TGIFridays.com

Chinese Chicken Salad With Sesame Citrus Dressing
> Retailer: TGI Friday’s
> Calories: 1,180
> Sodium: 2,960 mg

Source: Courtesy of Bob Evans / Bobevans.com

Chicken Cobb Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
> Retailer: Bob Evans
> Calories: 1,000
> Sodium: 2,390 mg

Source: Courtesy of Wendy's / Wendys.com

Apple Pecan Chicken Salad
> Retailer: Wendy’s
> Calories: 570
> Sodium: 1,150 mg

Source: Courtesy of Potbelly / Potbelly.com

Chicken Salad Salad with Potbelly Vinaigrette
> Retailer: Potbelly
> Calories: 700
> Sodium: 610 mg

Source: Courtesy of Red Robin / Redrobin.com

Avo-Cobb-O Salad with Ranch Dressing
> Retailer: Red Robin
> Calories: 780
> Sodium: 1,710 mg

Source: Courtesy of California Pizza Kitchen / Cpk.com

Waldorf Chicken Salad

Full Waldorf Chicken Salad with Fat-Free Vinaigrette
> Retailer: California Pizza Kitchen
> Calories: 1,320
> Sodium: 2,090 mg

Source: Courtesy of Chick-fil-A / Chick-fil-a.com

Cobb Salad with Chick-n-Strips 
> Retailer: Chick-Fil-A
> Calories: 910
> Sodium: 1,870 mg

Source: Courtesy of Chili's / Chilis.com

Quesadilla Explosion Salad
> Retailer: Chili’s
> Calories: 1,400
> Sodium: 2,370 mg

Source: Courtesy of Cheesecake Factory / Cheesecakefactory.com

Chinese Chicken Salad
> Retailer: Cheesecake Factory
> Calories: 1,740
> Sodium: 2,840 mg

Source: Courtesy of Perkins / Perkinsrestaurants.com

Honey Mustard Chicken Crunch Salad
> Retailer: Perkins
> Calories: 980
> Sodium: 2,050 mg

 

Source: Courtesy of California Pizza Kitchen / Cpk.com

California Cobb Salad with Blue Cheese and Beets
> Retailer: California Pizza Kitchen
> Calories: 1,070
> Sodium: 1,750 mg

Source: Courtesy of Friendly's / Friendlys.com

Apple Harvest Salad
> Retailer: Friendly’s
> Calories: 668
> Sodium: 2,277 mg

Source: Courtesy of Chili's / Chilis.com

Boneless Buffalo Chicken Salad
> Retailer: Chili’s
> Calories: 970
> Sodium: 3,350 mg

Source: Flagler Palms / Trip Advisor

Cobb Salad
> Retailer: Cheesecake Factory
> Calories: 1,570
> Sodium: 2,424 mg

 

Source: Courtesy of California Pizza Kitchen / Cpk.com

Thai Crunch with Avocado

Thai Crunch Salad with Fat-Free Vinaigrette
> Retailer: California Pizza Kitchen
> Calories: 1,180
> Sodium: 1,790 mg

Source: Courtesy of Red Robin / Redrobin.com

Southwest Salad with Salsa Ranch Dressing
> Retailer: Red Robin
> Calories: 1,100
> Sodium: 2,140 mg

Source: Courtesy of Au Bon Pain / Twitter

Chicken Cobb Salad with Avocado and Ranch Dressing
> Retailer: Au Bon Pain
> Calories: 640
> Sodium: 1,260 mg

Source: Courtesy of California Pizza Kitchen / Cpk.com

The Original BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad

The Original BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad, Full
> Retailer: California Pizza Kitchen
> Calories: 1,090
> Sodium: 1,800 mg

Source: Bevan W / Yelp

Southwest Avocado Chicken Salad
> Retailer: Wendy’s
> Calories: 600
> Sodium: 1,240 mg

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