Keto Means
Photo: Ryutaro Tsukata
Still, even though chicken salad is high in protein, one dish alone isn't super impactful for weight loss. Instead, eating an overall healthy diet that is within your daily calorie needs and is rich in lean protein, healthy fats, fiber, and nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables is best for weight loss.
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Read More »Chicken salad is a versatile dish that typically uses chopped or shredded chicken as the main ingredient and comes together with a binder such as mayonnaise, sour cream, yogurt, or a vinegar-based dressing. Many people undoubtedly consider it delicious, but because it sometimes uses higher-calorie ingredients, you might wonder if chicken salad is good for you. Absolutely — chicken salad can be healthy. Just how healthy comes down to the ingredients used, the portion eaten, and the other foods it’s paired with to make a meal. This article explores how chicken salad can affect your health, the nutritional content of chicken salad, and some suggestions for making a healthier chicken salad. Share on Pinterest Cameron Whitman/Stocksy United What is chicken salad? The first thing that may come to mind when you hear “chicken salad” is the classic creamy American-style dish that dates back to the mid-1800s. This version of chicken salad often uses a standard set of ingredients like boiled eggs, celery, apples, grapes, and almonds or pecans. These staples are combined with cooked chicken and typically held together with mayonnaise. Chicken salad can have many different flavor profiles and ingredients mixed in. It’s typically served cold and made with cooked chicken, a dressing, and sometimes extra vegetables, nuts, seeds, or fruit for flavor and crunch. For example, chicken salad can be Thai-inspired, combining chopped chicken and cucumber with the flavors of peanut, ginger, garlic, chili oil, and rice vinegar. A traditional Mexican chicken salad, known as ensalada de pollo, uses sour cream and mayo to bind together chicken and mixed vegetables such as beans, corn, and potatoes. You can find chicken salad at delis and restaurants, buy it premade at the grocery store, or make your own chicken salad at home. SUMMARY Chicken salad uses a binder like mayonnaise, yogurt, or salad dressing to combine cooked chicken with various other fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices. Chicken salad nutrition Chicken salad is packed with lean protein, vitamins, and minerals, and it can certainly be part of a healthy meal and an overall healthy diet. Just how healthy is chicken salad? That boils down to the ingredients used to make it and the amount you eat at one time. Certain ingredients, like the type and amount of mayo used, may significantly increase the calorie and saturated fat content of chicken salad, which may ultimately make it less nutritious than it could be. Just one small 1/2-cup (about 4-ounce) serving of chicken salad often contains 400 calories or more. And despite having “salad” in its name, it’s often served on bread or in a wrap, rather than on a bed of leafy greens. Here’s an example of how the nutritional value of chicken salad varies based on its ingredients ( 1 , 2, 3): Chicken salad made with mayonnaise Chicken salad made with light mayonnaise Chicken salad on a croissant Serving size 1/2 cup (113 grams or 4 ounces) 1/2 cup (108 grams or 3.8 ounces) 1 sandwich (187 grams or 6.6 ounces) Calories 266 164 600 Protein (grams) 16 15 25 Carbs (grams) 3 5 29 Total fat (grams) 21 9 42 Fiber (grams) 0 0 1 Sugar (grams) 2 3 5 Saturated fat (grams) 4 2 11 Cholesterol (mg) 75 68 100 Sodium (mg) 542 594 630 Calcium 2% of the Daily Value (DV) 2% of the DV 4% of the DV Iron 3% of the DV 3% of the DV 15% of the DV Potassium 5% of the DV 5% of the DV 6% of the DV Chicken salad tends to be is relatively low in carbs, fiber, and sugar and higher in protein, calories, and fat. The role of saturated fat in nutrition remains somewhat controversial, but many experts agree that replacing saturated fat in your diet with polyunsaturated fats — like those found in nuts and seeds — could help reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart disease ( 4 , 5 , 6 ). Nevertheless, these are only general estimates of the nutritional value of chicken salad, as the nutrients vary depending on how it’s made. Adding ingredients such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds or using a lower-calorie binder like yogurt could easily change these values. SUMMARY Chicken salad is a good source of lean protein. Additions such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds provide even more nutritious vitamins and minerals. However, chicken salad typically contains a fair amount of calories. The benefits of chicken salad Aside from being so tasty, chicken salad has a number of other benefits, such as being relatively affordable and simple to make at home. Its benefits don’t stop there, though — chicken salad has a few noteworthy positive health effects. Chicken salad is high in protein Protein is one of the primary nutrients your body needs to build and maintain bone, muscle, cartilage, and more ( 7 ). Most adults need to eat 45–65 grams of protein each day, though factors like age, sex, physical activity, and general health status could further increase or decrease those requirements ( 8 ). Thus, just one portion of chicken salad could account for nearly one-third of your entire protein requirements for the day. In addition to being essential for bone health and muscle strength, protein: regulates appetite ( 9 , 10 )
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