Sneaky Calorie Sabouteurs

What do these foods have in common: Japanese ginger orange salad dressing (the one that we all know and love), balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing, tuna salad sandwich and caesar salads. The answer is – they all contain  more calories than we think! I have been seeing these specific foods on my many of my clients food records lately and decided to dispel the myth that they are low in calories.

Japanese orange salad dressing
I was dismayed to find the the orange ginger Japanese salad dressing can contain up to 200 calories and 11 gm of fat for 2 T. That little take out container they give you contains 4 T. And I used to ask for extra as I thought it was low calorie.

Balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
Many people think balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing (or any vinaigrette dressing for that matter) is low in calories because it contains mainly vinegar. Wrong! It is 3/4 oil. The little container (4 T.) from Cosi’s contains 359 calories and 39 grams of fat.

Tuna salad sandwich
Fish is healthy, therefore it must be low in calories. Not necessarily as it depends how it is prepared. Tuna salad from a deli tends to be loaded with mayo and tuna packed in oil. The sandwiches are also usually jumbo sized. A deli tuna salad sandwich can contain 650 calories and 35 grams of fat. The tuna melts are even worse – containing over 1000 calories and 60 grams of fat (Cosi’s again!).

Caesar salad
Many of us associate salads with dieting. Not this salad! The fat and calorie laden dressing can make this salad add up to 1000 calories and over 80 grams of fat.