Is my salad making me Fat?

They say the first post is the hardest, so I've decided to just get it over with!

Living in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, sometimes finding a healthy meal in a restaurant can be a challenge. The “Pittsburgh” portions make even healthier choices an enemy in a battle versus the bathroom scale. Of course, there are always salads on the menu right. Salads are the go-to-choice for both myself and others trying to make a healthy choice in local restaurants. Salads are packed with healthy vegetables that are high in fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants right? Maybe not, I think it is time to be honest with myself and with all of you. If you live in southwestern Pennsylvania, your salad might be making you fat! Let’s think about it. All of the salads have lettuce which is great, especially if there are some darker mixed greens. Most will have a few tomatoes, maybe carrots, cucumber, onion, and beets. That is the best part! If you are lucky--you might get lean grilled chicken breast added to your salad or possibly hard boiled eggs. Those lean protein sources are an important part of a healthy diet. But wait, the serving size that most of us need is only about 3 ounces and the last grilled chicken salad I had was topped with two 5-ounce chicken breasts. While it isn’t bad nutritionally, extra calories are extra calories. Maybe you ordered the grilled salmon salad. The concept is the same. The protein is healthy but the portions may not be. I haven't even touched the surface with what you might be eating in those salads. Add Steak and depending on the cut, you may be adding enough saturated fat (the bad kind of fat) for three days. The chicken could be fried or breaded with refined carbs and that healthy salad is looking more like the Bacon Cheeseburger I was craving but didn’t order because of course, as a dietitian, I could never do that. Apparently, adding 4-8 ounces of cheese or more is also a requirement in this area. I love cheese but with 100 calories per ounce, I would like a little less on my "healthy" salad. And then there is the signature ingredient that makes salads in our area so special--French Fries! Any way you look at it those fries are adding a lot of fat and calories and very little as far as nutritional quality. We haven’t even gotten to the part where we pick dressing! Yes, I could order my salad with no cheese, no fries, and half the chicken but today, I think I am going to look at the salad a little differently, save the calories, and order the soup!