It’s a warm day and you are looking for something “light” to eat. You are also trying to drop a few pounds so your attention automatically turns to the salad section of the menu. A Cobb salad sounds healthy, after all it contains grilled chicken and heart healthy avocado. 1200 calories later, you have finished your “light” lunch.

One of the biggest misconceptions I see in my private practice is that salads are low calorie. Sure, then can be … but they can also have more calories and fat than a bacon cheeseburger. Chef, Caesar and Cobb Salads are the biggest culprits. Today, I’m going to address Cobb Salads. The calories in a Cobb Salad will vary depending upon where you get it. Think about the ingredients in this salad: greens and other assorted vegetables, bacon, blue cheese, maybe grilled chicken and some kind of fatty dressing. The dressing alone can add up to over 600 calories!

Here is a sampling of Cobb Salads from a variety of places. As you can see, some are acceptable choices (especially if you order a light dressing), while others can make up over 75% of your calories for the day! Looks like McDonalds and Pax take the prize for the lowest calorie Cobb Salads!

1. Pax Turkey Cobb Salad  220 cal / 12 gm fat    Blue cheese dressing 160cal /17 gm fat  Fat free italian or lemon herb dressing ~ 20 cal /0 gm fat

2. Cosi Cobb  425 cal /28 gm fat   Reduced fat sherry Shallot dressing 94 cal /6 gm fat   Cosi Vinaigrette 357 cal/ 39 gm fat

3. Generic Cobb salad per cup 179 cal /15 gm fat (from fitday.com)  However, keep in mind that the average salad = 4 cups.   This would bring the total to 716 cal /60 gm fat 

4.  Cobb_salad  Jerry’s Famous Deli (Marina del Rey, California)  757 cal/ 50 gm fat

5. McDonald’s Grilled Chicken California Cobb Salad - 280 calories/14 fat grams  Newman’s Own® Light Balsamic Vinaigrette - 90 cal/8 gm fat

6. Southwestern Cobb Salad from Chilis  970 cal/60 gm fat

7. Typical restaurant Cobb Salad 1000 - 1,200+ cal /90 gm fat

8. Au Bon Pain  330 cal /19  gm fat  Blue cheese dressing 230 cal/ 24 gm fat   Fat free raspberry vinaigrette 70 cal/0 gm fat

Bottom line, think twice before ordering a Cobb Salad. If you are going to a chain restaurant, check out the calories on line first to see what you are dealing with. If you really must have this salad, at least order dressing on the side and try to order a low fat dressing. If they are generous with the blue cheese and bacon, eat only 1/2. At least this will do some “damage control”.

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