12 Salad Toppings That Are Making You Fat

During a busy day, it's hard to manage running errands, working, and maintaining a healthy diet. To try and get in a few greens and vegetables throughout the day, we often order a quick salad or throw one together to eat on-the-go. After a hard days work, lunch and dinner must be tasty and hearty, but sometimes we add on few extras to our (healthy) salad which can make it unhealthy. We've compiled a helpful list of some of the most fattening and unhealthy salad toppings to avoid.

Click here to see the 12 Salad Toppings That Are Making You Fat (Slideshow)

After eliminating these items from your salad, you'll be left with more energy and not feel so weighted down after eating. And just because you've taken out some of these fattening foods, we've also offered delicious alternatives that you can replace each ingredient with. You can replace high-fat cheddar with a low-fat feta. Replace buttery and salty croutons with crunchy seeds or dry-roasted nuts. Click through the slideshow to see other healthier and equally delicious alternatives.

Not all salads are healthy, especially if you smother them with creamy dressings and loads of unhealthy and sugary ingredients. If you are looking to eat a healthy salad for lunch or dinner, make sure that it has the right nutritious ingredients. Wouldn't you rather save the calories and fat for dessert anyways?

Emily Jacobs is the Recipe editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @EmilyRecipes.