Americans are used to eating their salad before their main dish. In restaurants, salads are served after the drinks are delivered. At home, we often eat salad first, or we might have it on our plate along side our other dishes. But in France and also in other countries, salad is eaten after the meal, prior to dessert.
According to Dr. Mehmet Oz, this is a good practice. The reason being is that salad can curb our sweet tooth’s. It makes sense if you think about it. Typically salads have tomatoes. Tomatoes are sweet and tart at the same time. Salads also typically have dressing that is at least somewhat sweet (think Thousand Island) or decadent and creamy (think Ranch Dressing). This can help to alleviate or eliminate the desire for sweets after a meal.
Making the change to having your salad after your dinner can be a bit difficult to incorporate, especially in restaurants. But restaurants are there to serve their patrons, so if you ask for your salad after your meal, you’ll get it. At home, the change is easier to make. Simply make the salad and have it waiting on the table to serve after the main course is finished.
This leads to another discussion, however—about portion size. In America it is no secret that our portions are huge. The average American eats so much dinner that an after-main course salad may not be an option, because there simply isn’t room! By reversing courses and planning your meal so that you eat your salad after your meal can actually be a helpful portion-control method.
Eating salad following the main course could potentially alleviate a lot of after-dinner weight gain. By reducing your cravings, you’d likely be more inclined to only take a nibble of chocolate or dessert, rather than feeling like inhaling the entire candy bar or piece of pie.
What do you think about this? Do you think eating your salad last would have an effect on your weight loss efforts?
Give it a try and don’t forget to tell me what you think!