I have 6 hearts of romaine in my veggie drawer. Oops. So I have decided to have some salads for lunch this week.

Here's my problem. Salads make me hungry! I ate a large salad with some leftover green beans, corn, and a hard boiled egg, some home made dressing and a reasonable chunk of french bread. One hour later I am starving! This happens every time I have salad for lunch. How do people eat salad for lunch and not be hungry again so soon?

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try to have a little more protein on hand. I don't usually have much in the way of meat leftovers from the night before.

Last night I made a tasty potato soup, so I will have a cup of that with my salad today. I will also add a few sunflower seeds along with my egg.

I do love Taco salad, perhaps I can make up some turkey taco meat this weekend.

I have such a hard time with lunch. It always seems like an inconvenience to have to fix it, but not eating is not an option. I work from home so I am not forced to plan ahead. I do o.k. planning dinners, but planning lunch too seems like an overload.

O.k. I'm done whining now. It's really not a bad problem to have. Thanks again for your suggestions.

quote:

Originally posted by fbroadie:

I could add a few more nuts or cheese, but I was worried about counteracting the salad benefit by adding too many higher calorie items.

I'm with everyone else. Add more protein, but the low-fat variety. Chicken, tuna, shrimp...if you're trying to keep it vegetarian, add beans. I love kidney, cannellini and garbanzo beans in salads.

Dawn

I need something filling (protein) in my salad to keep me full. Just greens don't do it for me. Why not add shrimp or chicken or fish? Even roast beef?

I've gotten better at staying full on salads, but before, they just made me hungry.

I make 'taco' salad MANY times. (We just had it for dinner.) Add canned black beans, salsa, cheese, avocado, tomatoes and you are set. No dressing needed and the beans fill you up w/ fiber and protein. I just tossed a Costco lettuce because I just don't like lettuce. (WHY did I BUY that???!!!) I eat a lot of non lettuce salads (regular salad- leave out the lettuce....add more tomatoes, cukes etc...)

another idea: salad nicoise?? (sp???) w/ tuna and egg and whatever else (olives? beets? greenn beans...I forget what else is on that salad.) You do need some protein to keep the hungries away. Maybe the hb egg just isn't enough.

another thought: take a smallish snack (maybe another egg..they are only 75 calories..less than a 100 calorie pack!) for that one hour later. If it is THERE and you know it will be there- then maybe you won't be hungry for it. ...that seems to work for me. But THINK about if you are really hungry. Mindgames....they work for me.

I often eat a salad for lunch too. I also make sure to have lean protein and some good carbs too. I find it fills me till late afternoon. Plus, eating such a large meal (the salad is high volume) really satisfies me. It takes time and effort to eat and is not wolfed down like a bag of Doritos.

MAybe it will take some time to make to adjustment?

MAybe figure the calories--- is it way far down from your regular? Do you need to do something in between? Do you need to add a snack?

Food for thought...

My large salad was about 4 or 5 cups of lettuce and spinach combo. It seemed like an appropriate meal sized salad. It was about the same amount that I would make for two of us to share as a side for dinner.

I could add a few more nuts or cheese, but I was worried about counteracting the salad benefit by adding too many higher calorie items.

Put me in the "Protein on Salad" camp. Low-fat cheese, nuts, leftover meat. If there aren't any of those to put on it, I'll make half a pb&j to eat with it.

And when you say "Large"...like, how big? Would it fill a dinner plate? A 1-cup tupperware?

I find the more "crunch" I get, the happier I am with a salad. There's a game I play, too, where I try to get just one piece of lettuce per forkful. Makes lunch last FOREVER, and I really slow down when I'm eating.

I eat salads every day for lunch - usually 2 - 3 c of loosely packed dark leafy greens, some tomato, onion, carrots, 1/3 of an avocado, 1 T of slivered almonds, 1 T of dressing and 1 slice of ww bread. The extra veggies vary but the rest is pretty consistent.

Keeps me full for at least 3 hours until snack time.

Honestly your salad sounds pretty well balanced in terms of carbs, fat and proteins. Maybe substitute the french bread for a whole grain?

It may also be possible that it's a psychological thing - salads have always "made" you hungry and that's the mindset you are in.

I had a hard time feeling full when I didn't have meat as a protein. It was just how I grew up and it wasn't dinner unless there was some kind of meat or fish on the plate.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Brie,

For me to eat a salad for lunch it HAS to have chicken, shrimp, beef, etc in it or I am not going to make it until dinner. OR-if I have a salad with no meat on it, I like to have something hot, like soup, makes me feel fuller.

Jill