Will eating salad help me lose weight?

We often hear dieters say that they’re just having a light salad for lunch. But is this really ideal for weight loss?

"Eating just a salad for lunch is probably the worst meal for weight management," said Manuel Villacorta, a San Francisco-based dietician and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "Have the salad, but have a sandwich with it, or a bowl of bean soup."

According to Villacorta, even though most salads are low in calories, if you don’t include carbohydrates in it, nothing will be done to reduce the levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin, which tells the brain when to eat.

He recommends consuming carbohydrate containing foods in addition to your salad. You can try adding some fruit to your salad - be creative and go for what’s fresh, colourful and in season.

Apart from a sandwich, pasta is also an excellent way to increase your carbohydrate intake.

"If you're not eating enough, you're not lowering your ghrelin amounts, and you'll eat more later," Villacorta said.

Remember to go for low calorie salad dressings or none at all, as dressings can add hundreds of calories to an otherwise low calorie meal.

1. Prev:Does a vegetarian eating plan promote weight loss?
2. Next:At last: Weight loss shortcuts that work