Category Archives: Salads

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“Nuttin’ But Salads” is a misnomer for week 10. Less than 30% of my meals were salads. I’m even three days late for this report, due April 17.

Not sure if this is chicken or tuna salad

Problem is, I was on a 1,700-mile road trip and decided it would just be too inconvenient to keep up the salad habit. We were on the road for 10-12 hours for three consecutive days, driving from Hammond, Indiana, to back home.

At Lonestar Steakhouse in Amarillo, TX

For what it’s worth, my weight a couple days ago was 163.8 lb (74.5 kg) compared to 161.6 lb (73.4 kg) April 10. So not too bad a gain.

Strawberry shortcake in Amarillo. Yeah, I enjoyed the heck out of it.

Did you hear about the E. coli disease outbreak linked to romaine lettuce? Thanks to Sam’s Club for warning my wife via email; they knew she had bought some questionable romaine there.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Albacore tuna salad with spinach, pears, and walnuts

My weight today is 161.6 lb (73.4 kg), same as it’s been the last two weeks. Still feeling good. Starting to miss candy, cookies, and pastries.

I’ll probably do this for three months total then re-evaluate where I’m going with it.

Steve Parker, M.D.

In retrospect, I wish I’d used sweet relish in my tuna salad. But I looked at four brands at the store and they all featured HFCS or corn syrup.

We can usually get reasonably-priced avocados in Arizona

My weight is 162.2 lb (73.7 kg), same as last week. In case this is your first visit here, my weight at the outset was 175.5 lb (79.8 kg).

Have you figured out we like canned mandarin oranges?

Not sure where I’m going with this. I still feel good and am happy with my weight. Unclear if my weight loss has plateaued. I still can’t see my six-pack abs, and I’m not sure I want to make a commitment to reveal them. That would require some serious calorie restriction, I think. I’ll stay the course for another week.

The black bug-like dots are chia seeds

I fell off the wagon on Easter. We ate take-home Chinese food to save time. I followed that with too many cookies and chocolates. That filled my glycogen tanks to the top, I’m sure. But I skipped my next meal, so no harm done. When your glycogen stores are repleted, any excess calories are stored as fat.

You’d pay a lot for this at a restaurant

Steve Parker, M.D.

Taco salad

Two cups of raw Brussels sprouts salad

My weight today is 162.2 lb (73.7 kg). One week ago it was 166.6 lb (75.7 kg) and two weeks ago was 164 lb (74.4 kg). I started the experiment at 175.5 lb (79.8 kg).

…with 4 oz sous vide chicken breast

My family bought me an expensive belt for Christmas, and now it fits! I’m sure my suit pants fit again, so I’m ready for another funeral or deposition.

Greek salad with canned salmon

This cost me $6 at Safeway

I feel good. Workouts are going well without diminution of performance, which I take as evidence for preservation of muscle despite weight loss. I  get occasional nocturnal leg cramps, but not enough that I would take a potassium or calcium supplement. Unexpectedly, during this experiment I’ve had two episodes of constipation as bad as any I’ve ever had in my life. And two episodes of diarrhea. Go figure.

One of our favorite go-to salads

For the record, around Week 5 I started taking a multivitamin and vitamin D 1000 IU supplement, “just to be sure.” So a total of 1800 IU vitamin D; I may not need that much. I haven’t been spending time in the sun since my hiking is on hold. I also take 800 mg/day of magnesium oxide, which I had started previously to help keep a lid on my blood pressure.

We don’t absorb magnesium supplements very well. P.D. Mangan says mag citrate is the most absorbable formulation.

My diet compliance is waning a bit. I’ve grabbed a few handfuls of nuts between salad meals. Should be munching a protein food instead.

Oh yeah. I ate five of these. They were a present from my daughter. How could I turn them down?

I do miss alcohol. But I think I’ve been more productive without it. I had a glass of wine on Valentine’s Day and my wedding anniversary.

Workplace temptation, successfully resisted

Like everybody else, I have to deal with temptation.

Don’t ask me where I’m going with this experiment. I don’t know. I’m curious about where my weight will settle and whether I’ll see my six-pack abs then.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Too many calories in this chef salad?

My weight today is 166.6 lb (75.7 kg), compared to 164 lb (74.4 kg) last week. Not sure if the gain is real or not. Don’t care much at this point, but it’s interesting. If real, it must be calorie-related. Too many nuts? Too much cheese?

{Weight the next day,  March 21, was 165.2 lb.)

Not pictured: olive oil vinaigrette I dressed it with

I put together a Brussels sprouts salad that was horrible. The vinaigrette had too much lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. The salad had  too much red onion. I’ll tinker with the recipe and get back with you if I can get it right.

A work meal: Chicken salad on a bed of spinach and romaine lettuce plus tomatoes

My wife’s dinner

Caprese salad

Temptation in a shared office

Steve Parker, M.D.

Hard to see the bed of leafy greens

Weight is down to 164 lb (74.4 kg), having started five weeks ago at 175.5 lb (79.8 kg). So 11 lb in five weeks. Not bad!

I didn’t buy this at Costco but it looked wonderful and would easily feed two. Great deal for the price. Costco has good prices on salad greens.

My compliance has been good except for tonight when my wife and I ate at The Keg steakhouse. I had arctic char (my first time, tastes like salmon), creamed cauliflower, roasted l0w-carb veggies, sourdough bread, 6 fl oz red wine, and Billy Miner Pie (mostly mocha ice cream). My weight should be up a couple pounds tomorrow.

Before: My wife found this at Domino’s Pizza. Surprisingly good and fresh, for $5 USD. One small meal.

After mixing

I still haven’t done nutritional analysis of my meals. Wouldn’t be surprised if I don’t meet the RDIs for calcium and vitamin D. I haven’t spent much time in the sun this winter.

The chicken breast on this was prepared sous vide style with Montreal steak seasoning, then pan-seared

My waistline is an inch narrower. I still can’t see a six-pack so I think I’ll keep on the Nuttin’ But Salads diet for now, adding a multivitamin and vitamin D “just to be sure.”

I like this Newman’s Own dressing. First ingredient is olive oil blend, unlike most commercial vinaigrettes that first list water or canola oil. Pour spout is messy, but I can live with that.

I feel good and my workouts are going well w/o reduction in performance.

One of our favorites

Do the eggs make you think “breakfast salad”? I gained a couple pounds after eating this cheese-laden meal, and then did a 24-hour fast.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Mixed greens, cheese, walnuts, sous vide chicken, mandarin orange wedges, dried cranberries

My weight is down to 165.8 lb (75.4 kg), compared to 167.4 lb (76.1 kg) last week.

Nuh-uh

I feel good. Workouts are going well. No muscle cramps. I’m feeling a bit chilly much of the time, but that may be because winter finally came to southern Arizona.

Found in the hospitalist office. Not a salad. Didn’t eat any.

I’m eating two big salads a day and that’s it. Remember, I’m relatively sedentary so don’t need lots of calories. If I had a physical job, I might need to eat more often. I’m not bothered much by hunger or temptation. I wonder if I’m in ketosis. Perhaps proper mindset is a large part of my success.

I’m starting to wonder if I might eventually see my six-pack abs. They’re in there. Under an inch of fat.

 Steve Parker, M.D. 

Peanut M&Ms in my employer’s office at the hospital. Very tempting but not salad, so not going down my gullet.

Weight today is 167.4 lb (76.1 kg) compared to 168 lb last week, so may or may not be a significant drop. Weight when I started three weeks ago was 175.5 lb (79.8 kg).

Mozzarella cheese, shrimp, roasted garlic cloves, olives, salami, spinach, tomato, and roasted peppers from a jar

Chicken salad on a bed of greens plus tomatoes and strawberries

Salami, greens, olives, cheese, fresh basil

Left-over chicken from El Pollo Loco, greens, avocado, blackberries, pecans, strawberries

Caprese salad-style platter that the whole family munched on. With olive oil and vinegar.

Similar to one above

I was running late for work, didn’t have time to make a salad, so I threw these into my lunch bucket as a substitute: canned oysters and mackerel, apple, avocado

Microwaved pre-cooked frozen meatballs on a bed of mixed greens including asparagus sautéed in butter

Not salad, so not eating it. M&Ms in the Resident’s Office at the hospital.

I feel good. Workouts are going well. I’ve had a few nocturnal muscle cramps like when I was on my ketogenic diet several years ago. I wonder if a calcium supplement would suppress those cramps, but they don’t bother me enough to even fool with it. I’ve been taking mag oxide 800 mg/day for a while, hoping it will keep keep a lid on my blood pressure.

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: That serving of mackerel provides 31% of the RDA for vitamin D, 20 grams of protein, 773 mg of omega-3 fatty acids, and 15% of the calcium RDA. That vitamin D is important to me since I’m not getting much sun now, and this salad diet may be an insufficient source. Calcium intake may also be inadequate. I haven’t done any nutrient analysis yet.

PPS: Or maybe I shouldn’t worry about adequate nutrients. Don Gorske is on target eat his 30,000th McDonald’s Big Mac on May 4. Two of the burgers a day is about all he eats!

Kale on the left, mustard greens on the right

Since I’m eating nuttin’ but salads these days, I want to be sure I’m getting adequate nutrition. There are about 40 essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids, “essential” meaning necessary for life and health.

I haven’t found a good source yet for estimates of non-vitamin anti-oxidants and other non-essential nutrients. There are probably hundreds of these that are not essential for life, but optimize health and longevity.

FitDay makes it easy to compare multiple nutrients in various foods. Their standard analysis includes fiber, vitamin A, vitamin B-6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, riboflavin, selenium, thiamine, and zinc.

I compared 12 salad greens for content of these 18 nutrients. Here’s how they stack up, with the most nutritious first and least nutritious last. If two cups of the item provide at least 20% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance for a specific nutrient, I’ve listed it in parentheses.

1. Dandelion greens (vitamins A, vitamin C, vitamin E, copper, iron, riboflavin)
2. Kale (vitamin A, vitamin B-6, vitamin C, copper, iron, mangenese)
3. Brussels sprouts (fiber, vitamin B-6, vitamin C, iron, manganese, thiamine)
4. Cabbage, green (vitamin C)
5. Spinach (vitamin A, iron, manganese)
6. Chard (vitamin A, vitamin C)
7. Celery
8. Cucumber
9. Collards (vitamin A, vitamin C)
10. Lettuce, romaine or cos (vitamin A, vitamin C)
11. Lettuce, green leaf (vitamin A)
12. Lettuce, presumptively iceberg

Dandelion greens and kale are the clear stand-outs, a coin toss to declare one better than the other. Brussels sprouts and cabbage have very similar profiles. Spinach and chard were close. Iceberg lettuce doesn’t have much to recommend it. The list above is essentially one of descending nutrient density.

To learn more about nutrient density, visit Marty Kendall at Optimising Nutrition.

Have I left out any of your favorite salad greens?

Steve Parker, M.D.

Surprisingly filling. Note three fruits: strawberries, blueberries, and mandarin orange.

I’m a day late for my Week 2 Summary because I was out of town yesterday and had no access to my scale. Weight today is 168 lb (76.4 kg), so down 5 lb (2.3 kg) in the last seven days. That’s amazing and I’m not sure it’s real and repeatable. I may be up a couple pounds by tomorrow.

Weight loss total since starting the experiment 16 days ago: 7.5 lb loss (3.4 kg), from 175.5 to 168 lb.

This good-looking salad is from El Pollo Loco. I topped it with chicken.

I feel good and have plenty of energy. On day 10 I noticed I didn’t have much appetite and tended to eat just because I knew I needed to. I don’t spend much time thinking about foods I should miss, like pizza, pastries, candy, and bread.

This salad was a dud. We saw a five-bean salad in a jar at Sam’s Club, marinated with sugar and vinegar. Just a bad combination with other items on the plate. Even by itself, it’s not my cup ‘o tea. The chicken was one of Sam’s $5 roasted chickens. I learned that I don’t particularly like dark meat on my salads.

I’ve been lifting weights for several years, twice weekly. I did my first weight-lifting session on day 3 or so of this experiment. I noticed my performance was down about 5% from baseline. The workout was harder than usual. But that has not happened since.

My only cheat meal thus far. My wife made us filet mignon, sautéed asparagus, and chocolate-dipped strawberries for Valentine’s Day.

A typical large salad takes me 25 minutes to eat, not counting conversation or distractions. Lots of chewing. I’ve never times my meals before, but doubt they took this long.

I got my wife a Lamborghini for Valentine’s Day

When I’m tempted by fat-promoting food, I tell myself, “No, I’m eating Nuttin’ But Salads.”

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: My weight the day after the original post was 168.6 (76.6 kg), not 168 lb. Go figure.

PPS: Weight two days after the post was 167.6 lb (76.1 kg).