I often hear from folks who think that a salad might be an easy way to incorporate their lean and green meal on the Medifast diet. In case you don't know, the lean and green meal is when you are supposed to add in a fresh and healthful meal to the five meals that the company already provides. This is the one meal that you design on your own. I believe the purpose of this is to make sure that you get fresh foods every day and also that you learn how to make good choices. After all, the whole idea is that you aren't on the diet forever.
I get a lot of questions about what type of salad you should be eating. Common questions are whether you can eat a fast food or restaurant salad. Or if the salad can have some type of meat in it. I also get asked a lot about salad dressing. So in the following article, I will try to clarify this.
The lean and green requirements are pretty simple. You should have 5 - 7 ounces of lean protein and three servings of vegetables. Many salads can be made to fit that description. It's best to try to stick to low glycemic vegetables. So you probably wouldn't want to have salad with corn or potatoes. A green salad with some meat, egg, or other vegetarian protein does fit the bill. Most people try to stick to a low calorie and low carbohydrate salad dressing. A good rule of thumb is two tablespoons of a dressing that contains less than five grams of fat and less than six grams of carbohydrates. If you are eating out and ordering your salad from a restaurant, it makes sense to ask them for a dressing that is low in fat and calories and then have them bring it on the side rather than pouring it liberally over the salad.
And yes, I believe that you can make this work with restaurant meals and salads as long as you are careful and not afraid to speak up and make requests. Honestly, if you look carefully at fast food restaurants, you will often find a couple of selections that will work. Any garden or green salad with grilled chicken and a careful choice of dressing applied sparingly can work. Now, a salad that is loaded in bacon, croutons, and cheese isn't going to be the best choice. But a salad that is a true green and light salad meets the guidelines. I don't think that there is any need to feel as if you need to chop up vegetables if you don't have time to do that. Bagged salads and restaurant salads can work as long as you chose them well.
