Eating salad may not be providing all the health benefits you think—in fact, it may actually cause you to make you fatter and pack on the pounds. While some lettuce and tomatoes with a light vinaigrette may be innocuous enough, the choices that we make before and after eating a salad can lead us to consume more calories than we think we’re having.
The Illusion of the Healthy Salad
First, let’s look at some common salad toppings that add on calories and fat. Additions such as shredded cheese, bacon, and ranch dressing can make that base of lettuce seem a lot more appealing, but they can also cause us to consume more calories than we would with, say, a simple sandwich or small serving of pasta. Prevention estimates that a serving of Chicken Caesar Salad (a popular ‘healthy’ entrée at many restaurants) averages about 750 calories and 50 grams of fat, while a steak salad with blue cheese averages about 850 calories and 64 grams of fat.
Common Caesar Salad Ingredients
Based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet, that steak salad could be about 43% of your daily calorie allotment—but you probably won’t think of it that way. That’s because of the “health halo,” a term marketing professor Pierre Chandon uses to describe the idea that once we think that something is good for us, we stop paying attention to actual nutritional content and portion size. The word “salad” has healthy connotations, so even if a salad on a restaurant menu is topped with fried chicken and is actually unhealthy, we are more likely to convince ourselves we’re making a healthy choice than if the menu item was simply listed as “fried chicken”.
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The Licensing Effect
Let’s say that you abstain from adding high-calorie toppings and have a simple salad packed with healthy vegetables. So far so good, but unfortunately, you may be more likely to make unhealthy choices after having that salad. That’s because of the licensing effect, a psychological phenomenon in which we feel justified to do something indulgent after doing something we perceive as virtuous. For example, you’re more likely to buy something for yourself after buying a present for someone else, or to reward yourself with a donut after a rigorous workout. And if you eat a salad? You may end up balancing that perceived healthy choice with an indulgent choice, such as fries or a milkshake, later in the day.
That’s not to say that we’re entirely at the mercy of the health halo and licensing effect; you can, of course, eat a healthy salad and still make nutritious food choices later in the day. One approach that some psychologists recommend is to focus on the process of healthy living rather than the outcome. So, for example, by focusing on exercising regularly and eating a generally healthy diet rather than focusing on a weight loss outcome, you may find that you have an easier time making healthy choices—without adding indulgent foods as a “reward” for good behavior.
