Losing Weight With Green Lettuce! Yes, but…

August 13, 2013 - By Nautilus Plus

Temps de lecture 2 minutes

It is a commonly held belief that green lettuce can make us lose weight. In order to lose weight, many people morph into rabbits and start eating salads at each meal. Sure, lettuce is a nutritive and refreshing dish, but it is not a complete meal in itself!

First of all, it is true that green lettuce is very low in calories, but only at one condition: you should not use too much salad dressing! If your salad turns the colors of your dressing, you have used too much of it. Use it sparingly!

Green lettuce is nutritious, just like other vegetables. However, a few lettuce leaves and a dash of dressing will not provide you with enough carbohydrates and proteins to satisfy your hunger. Remember that a meal should provide a minimum of 45 g of carbohydrates, 8 g of fiber, and 15 g of proteins. To do so, you need to integrate one serving of each of the 4 food groups to your salad:

User’s Guide	Examples
1. Start by adding one vegetable to your salad	250 ml (1 cup) of lettuce (romaine, frilly, iceberg, etc.), spinach, or cabbage AND/OR 125 ml (½ cup) coloured vegetables (sweet peppers, mushrooms, grated carrots, etc.)
2. Add one grain product	250 ml (1 cup) whole-wheat croutons or sweet corn OR 125 ml (½ cup) chinese noodles, brown rice, couscous, or barley
3. Add one dairy product	60 g cheese with less than 20 % M.F.
4. Complete with one meat or meat alternative	90 g (3 oz) beef, pork, chicken or turkey OR 120 g (4 oz) fish or seafoods OR 2 eggs OR 45 ml (3 tablespoons) nuts or seeds OR 125 ml (½ cup) legumes OR 150 g (5 oz) tofu
5. Decorate with a fruit if you like	60 ml (4 tablespoons) dried fruits, such as cranberries OR 1 fruit (apple, orange, etc.) OR 250 ml (1 cup) blueberries OR 375 ml (1½ cup) strawberries or blackberries
6. Add a few drops of salad dressing and mix thoroughly	15 ml (1 tablespoon) regular salad dressing OR 30 ml (2 tablespoons) low-fat salad dressing

For healthy salad dressing ideas, read Healthy vinaigrette ideas for your salads. The Zero Diet book by Karine Larose also suggests an interesting range of complete, healthy, and filling salads.

By Vanessa Martin, nutritionist

Losing Weight With Green Lettuce! Yes, but... is a post from Nautilus Plus. The Nautilus Plus blog aims to help people in their journey to fitness through articles on training, nutrition, motivation, exercise and healthy recipes.
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