Why A Salad May Not Always Be The Healthiest Option

If I put the following picture in front of you and asked you to label which one was “HEALTHIER”… Which would you choose? The plate of tacos, rice, and beans? Or the salad? If you read the title of this post, you would probably be scared to answer salad. Because it must be a trick right? Is a salad REALLY the healthiest option?

If you TRULY went with your gut instinct, and what most people accept in America as “healthy” you would probably say eat the salad. If you want to throw all chances of a slimmer waist line out the window, tacos my friend, and not just any tacos. A full on taco combo plate complete with rice and beans. (And every fellow SA native said AMEN!). There’s no way you can enjoy tacos, real rice, and real beans, AND lose weight. Right? Wrong. The truth is, BOTH of these meals are healthy for you. BOTH of them are in fact CRUCIAL to your fitness sucess. Don’t believe me? Continue on to read exactly why a salad isn’t always the “healthiest” option for you!

Starting about 3 years ago, after I had Cheyenne, I was struggling to get back to feeling “myself” again, and knew that I needed to change some things in my diet and lifestyle. I started working out regularly, cut out a lot of processed foods, dairy, gluten, and drastically reduced my sugar intake. For a while, I was doing really well, and felt amazing with the choices I was making. However after a bit of time, old habits started to creep back in, and I was drinking lots of coffee, ordering half sweet tea instead of unsweet, not eating most of the day because I was busy, and then grabbing a salad usually for dinner.

In my mind that was okay right? I’m not OVER-eating. I am eating a salad for goodness sake.

In all honesty I LOVE salads. And I literally could choose that item off any menu, and be perfectly happy with it. But, still. Eating salads every day. Working out twice a day 5 days a week. It was a little exhausting if I am being completely honest. And while I wasn’t gainging weight, I wasn’t losing, and I wasn’t seeing a huge difference in muscle tone or feeling fit. What gives???

Summer hit last year, and I got burned out on the intense working out.

I stayed active with the kids but I scaled way back on my exercise, and that’s when I noticed the changes creeping in. Before I knew it, in October, I had put on 12 extra pounds, and was feeling pretty sluggish, tired, and overall knew something needed to change. I wanted to find a solution that would actually help me feel better, lose the extra weight I had, and not require me to spend hours working out. I had avoided paying attention to what my nutrition looked like, because again, I eat salads 90% of the time, that can’t be bad?!

However, I knew that the nutrition side of things was the ONE thing I hadn’t tried to figure out. Quite honestly, fear held me back from trying. I felt overwhelmed at the thought of counting macros, and even figuring out what percentage of macros I could eat to see results. I tried looking on Pinterest, and found all kinds of online calculators, but I still felt clueless.

This is when I stumbled upon the FASTer Way To Fat Loss program.

The program promised to TEACH you how to eat in the right balance in order to maximize fat burning. It promised to teach you how to track your macros effectively. It promised to teach you how to pair your exercise with strategic nutrition strategies, for maximum results. Finally. A program that could deliver the “total package”…

2 weeks in to the FASTer Way, my life changed for the better.

I would continue on to finish my 6 week round as a client, I applied to, got accepted and certified to coach, and have led multiple clients in their own rounds and into a lifestyle of food freedom as well. I am passionate about sharing what I have learned with as many people as I can. Why? Because I have been there! I know exaclty the struggles that you are facing, and I have seen how simply changing what is on your plate can impact EVERYTHING.

So, long story longer. Let’s get back to this picture! Which is healhtier to you?
Honestly, they are both healthy. They are both NECESSARY. They are both CRUCIAL to your fitness success. Your body needs protein, it needs carbs, and it needs good healthy fats.

There I said it! Anyone who is ready to sign up for the taco diet, you’ve found the place!

But in all seriousness. Here are some numbers for you.
Meal 1: Lightly breaded with cornmeal and pan grilled fish and shrimp tacos on corn tortilla, homemade cilantro lime cole slaw (with olive oil mayo), spanish rice, and homemade pinto beans.
Protein – 46g
Carbs – 78 g
Fat – 18 g
Calories: 640

Meal 2: Spinach salad with cucumbers, grape tomatoes, same fish from meal prior (increased portion size), whole 30 and dairy free ranch dressing.
Protein – 43 g
Carbs – 15 g
Fat – 28 g
Calories: 479

I posted this same quesiton on facebook and thoroughly enjoyed reading your feedback! Thank you for commenting if you did. The truth and final answer is they are both healthy. I have found the freedom to quit labeling foods “bad” and “good”, and simply learned how and when to eat the RIGHT AMOUNTS for my body. Meal 1 was for dinner, because I needed plenty more carbs for the day. I ate Meal 2 the next day for lunch, because I needed less carbs and more healthy fats.

Since I started this way of eating, in a matter of 5 months, I’ve lost a total of 13 pounds, 4 inches off my belly button area, 3 inches off my waist, 4 inches off my hips, and 3.5 inches off my thighs. All accomplished while eating MORE than I ever thought possible. My strategy is not to cut calories or macro groups.

My strategy lies in the schedule and balance of my macros.

We have to break the stigma around the fact that “salads are healthy and tacos are bad”. That carbs are “bad”. Or you can’t possibly eat all those carbs all in one sitting. Perhaps you should skip the dressing. Or maybe you shouldn’t bread the fish.

Cutting out an entire macro group is not only unhealthy, it’s not sustainable long term.

Learning how to eat the right balance each day is the secret. You can have your tacos, you can have your rice, you can have your tortillas, salads, and donuts. The trick is in learning how and when to eat those foods that you will truly find food freedom.

I know that there will be some of you, even in the fitness industry who may challenge me, because this type of thinking, this type of program goes against what society tells you
is “right”.

I’m not here to debate you at all. I am simply presenting my facts, my experience, and will be here waiting when you decide that you’ve had ENOUGH and are ready for a change.