The Hauser Diet at the Salad Bar or Buffet

Eating out can make it hard to eat healthy and right for your Diet Type. One thing that is always a sure thing though is the salad bar. Now, we know not every place you go will have one, but a lot of places do. If you need to go out for lunch, chances are there’s a place near your work that has a salad bar. It doesn’t matter which Hauser Diet you’re on, you can be successful at the salad bar. Typical options are greens, a variety of vegetables, fruit, some type of meat (tuna, ham, or turkey pieces), eggs, seeds, and many types of salad dressings. The more elaborate bars will have pasta salads, vegetables salads, or fruit salads. You just have to make the right animal choices.

Lions/Otters
As we always say, any Hauser Diet can have vegetables, just in different quantities. So, take some dark greens, and put a couple of your favorite vegetables on top. Then load up on the meat and seeds. Skip the croutons and add a couple spoonfuls of sunflower seeds instead, they will add some healthy fat and crunch to your salad. Pass on the fruit and fruit salads as well; you don’t need those extra carbs. The healthiest dressing for you will be an olive oil based one, so try not to over do the french type dressings that have a lot of sugar in them. Now, if meat isn’t an option that’s okay, you can just use eggs and the seeds to get in the fat and protein that you need!

Bears
Bears can survive at even the skimpiest of all salad bars and you can certainly have a lot of fun at the most elaborate ones! No meat or eggs? That’s okay, you can have your protein later in the day, go for the fresh veggies and add on a little bit of fruit. You can put on a few seeds, but we would still avoid the croutons if at all possible, they are non-needed simple carbs. When offered a wide array of other “salads”, just try to skimp on the pasta based ones, again simple carbs and extra calories that you don’t need! You have your choice of dressings, but as always using the oil and vinegar is the healthiest option! Your last choice should be the fat-free version of any of the dressings!

Monkeys/Giraffes
The salad bar is your haven! Load up on all the fresh vegetables you want, top it off with some croutons, and even some fruit! Monkeys could even throw on a little bit of egg or tuna if desired. Your only hold up, for the most part, is on the dressing. You need to watch your fat intake, which doesn’t mean using the fat free ranch, but instead having the vinegar-based dressings, or just using balsamic vinegar by itself. Having a little fruit salad that has some other ingredients is probably okay, but the other variety of side salads usually have a fat based sauce, so beware. Dessert is even allowed in small quantities. Don’t over do it, but taking a little scoop of pudding to finish off your meal is okay!

Remember when you are facing all those choices at the salad bar, don’t think of you can’t have, but what you can. Each diet should think that way. Otters should relish in the fact that they can have the usual fat-based dressings, not in the fact that they can’t have croutons. On the other hand, Monkeys need to be thankful that they can have a little pudding to finish off their meal, not be regretful that they have to skimp on the olive oil. The salad bar is one place where all Hauser Diets can live in harmony and health!