The primary caloric value of a salad is determined by the dressing. If the dressing has a cream or mayonnaise base, the salad will likely be high in calories. Therefore, choose natural cold-pressed oils (olive, sesame, linseed, sunflower, pumpkin) or natural yogurt for making your dressing. If you buy ready-made dressing, look at its composition: it should have no more than 15 % of fat and as little sugar as possible. The lowest calorie vegetables are celery, eggplants, cucumbers, tomatoes, green peas, and cabbage. The most caloric and "heavy" are corn, potatoes, yams, olives, and beets. Additionally, the way the products are prepared affects calorie content. For example, roasted eggplant is high in calories because it absorbs a lot of oil. Let’s look at five healthy salad options you can make for lunch or dinner. ## Healthy salad ideas __Chicken salad with cucumber (120 calories per 100 g)__ __Ingredients__: chicken breast, 2 cucumbers, any green salad, unsweetened yogurt for dressing, garlic clove, 1.1 tsp. mustard. __Preparation__: Boil chicken breast with turmeric, curry, and sweet paprika. You can throw a few peas of black pepper and a bay leaf in the water. Cut the chicken into small cubes, cucumbers in longitudinal strips, lettuce in large pieces, mix everything, add yogurt and pre-pressed garlic. Let the salad stand for 15–20 minutes. __Tomato and cheese salad (150 calories per 100 g)__ __Ingredients__: chicken filet — 150 g, 3 lettuce leaves, a few cherry tomatoes, 2 cucumbers, 1 bell pepper, a bunch of coriander or parsley, unsweetened yogurt, 50 g of hard cheese. __Preparation__: Grate lettuce leaves into a large bowl. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half, cucumbers in circles, and bell peppers in thin strips. Boil the chicken filet in vegetable broth or bake in the oven with your favorite seasonings. Slice or break apart. Mix everything, dress with yogurt and let stand. Sprinkle grated cheese on top. __Tuna salad (160 calories per 100 g)__ __Ingredients__: canned tuna — 80 g, potatoes — 1 piece, green beans — 100 g, a bundle of salad leaves, olive oil. __Preparation__: Drain liquid from the tuna can, crush meat with a fork. Boil potatoes in jacket, peel, and cut into slices. Boil the beans, drain, and let cool. Mix all ingredients with lettuce and olive oil. __Fish salad (180 calories per 100 g)__ __Ingredients__: 140–150 g grated river trout, 2 cucumbers, 1/2 of an onion, 1 garlic clove, 3 tablespoons low-fat yogurt. __Preparation__: Season the fish beforehand: sprinkle a piece of filet with salt and spices to taste and bake or broil in the oven. Slice, add finely chopped onion, diced cucumbers, and dress with yogurt and garlic if you desire. __Tabbouleh salad (220 calories per 100 g)__ __Ingredients__: 80 g bulgur, 1 onion, 1 cucumber, 1 tomato, juice of half a lemon, 1 apple, a bunch of mint, 2 spoons of olive oil. __Preparation__: Boil the bulgur and leave it for 1–1.5 hours. When the bulgur is ready, chop the mint, cucumber, tomato, and onion as finely as possible. Peel the apple and turn it into a puree with a blender, add olive oil and lemon juice. Mix all the ingredients.