Salad season

Now that temps are rising, soup is out and salad is in. Salads are one of those foods you could eat daily since there's so much variety in what to add.While many people think of salad as rabbit food, it can be made into a meal simply by adding a protein (chicken, lean beef, fish, eggs, beans) and a healthy grain (quinoa, brown rice or whole grain pasta). But beware of some ingredients that can add lots of calories to your salad.Bite thisRomaine leaves. Romaine leaves are dark green, which means they contain more lutein (good for your eyes) than hearts of romaine.Not thatHearts of romaine. You may notice that romaine hearts resemble iceberg lettuce. There's less vitamin C and other nutrients in the hearts of romaine.Bite thisFresh fruit (like berries or apples). Fresh fruit adds fluid and fiber to your salad without a lot of calories. Choose seasonal fruit like pineapple, berries or kiwi in the spring and summer, and apples, citrus or pears in the fall and winter.Not thatDried fruit. Raisins, craisins and dried apricots add color and flavor to salad, but also more sugar and calories. Use these sparingly.Bite thisOlives. While both are high in sodium, olives provide heart-healthy mono-unsaturated fat to your salad.Not thatBacon. Bacon bits are actually vegetarian, but the real stuff will boost the fat, sodium and calorie count of any salad.Bite thisOil and vinegar. Oil and vinegar isn't a flavor bully on your salad. You can mix balsamic, red or white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar with a little Dijon mustard and oil and voila- dressing. Sodium and preservative free.Not thatTraditional salad dressing. Most salad dressings contain at least 200 mg of sodium and lots of ingredients most of us can't even pronounce.Bite thisLow fat feta cheese. Feta cheese makes your salad a wee bit fancier than most to start with. Lighter feta is 30% lower in calories than regular feta or blue cheese.Not thatBlue cheese crumbles. Blue cheese is tasty, but use in moderation. It's got 100 calories in a mere quarter cup with 8 grams of fat and a hefty dose of salt.