A Greek salad is a popular appetizer and side dish, but it can be surprisingly high in calories. While salads are often viewed as a healthy option, the ingredients in a Greek salad can quickly add up in terms of calories and fat. Understanding why Greek salads tend to be high in calories can help you make healthier choices when ordering or making this dish.
Feta Cheese
One of the key ingredients in a Greek salad is feta cheese. Feta is a brined cheese made from sheep’s milk or a mixture of sheep’s and goat’s milk. While feta adds a lot of flavor to Greek salads, it’s also high in saturated fat and calories. Just a 1-ounce (28 gram) serving of feta contains:
- 75 calories
- 6 grams of fat
- 4 grams of saturated fat
So if a Greek salad contains 2 ounces (56 grams) of feta cheese, which is a pretty standard amount, that alone contributes 150 calories and 12 grams of mostly saturated fat. Using a reduced-fat feta cheese can trim some of these calories and fat grams.
Olives
Olives are another staple ingredient in Greek salads. While olives add a nice briny, salty flavor, they’re also high in fat and calories because they are essentially pickled in oil. Five large Greek olives contain about:
- 50 calories
- 5 grams of fat
A typical Greek salad includes 10 or more olives, so that tallies up to 100 calories and 10 grams of fat just from the olives.
Olive Oil
A Greek salad just wouldn’t be complete without a generous drizzling of olive oil over the top. However, as healthy as olive oil is, it is still a fat that contains 120 calories per tablespoon. Standard restaurant Greek salads can easily contain 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, tallying up 240-360 calories just from the added oil.
Vegetables
While vegetables are a key part of a healthy diet, some of the veggie components in a Greek salad can also be higher in calories. For example:
- 1 cup of chopped cucumber = 16 calories
- 1 cup of grape tomatoes = 30 calories
- 1 cup of sliced bell peppers = 30 calories
When combined with the feta cheese, olives and olive oil, those calorie counts add up fast.
Salad Dressing
Greek salad dressing can also impact the calorie count. While a simple oil and vinegar dressing has minimal calories, many Greek salads are served with a creamier dressing such as:
- Greek yogurt dressing
- Lemon dill dressing
- Tzatziki sauce
These thicker dressings tend to contain more calories due to added ingredients like mayonnaise, sour cream, or cream cheese. A 2-tablespoon serving of a thicker dressing can contain between 100-200 calories.
Pita or Pita Chips
While not all Greek salads are served with pita bread or pita chips, these additions can also drive up the calorie count. For example:
- 1 medium whole wheat pita = 165 calories
- 10 pita chips = 130 calories
Large Portions
Finally, Greek salads served at restaurants tend to be large portions, often meant to be shared between 2-3 people. Eating a whole restaurant-sized Greek salad yourself can easily provide 500-1000 calories, depending on the exact size and ingredients.
Healthier Alternatives
If you want to enjoy Greek salads without all the extra calories, there are some tweaks you can make:
- Use reduced-fat feta cheese and limit to 1 ounce per serving
- Go easy on olives or use a healthier olive variety like kalamata
- Drizzle salads with 1 tablespoon olive oil or use a spray
- Opt for oil and vinegar dressing or a lighter yogurt dressing
- Fill up on the vegetables and limit higher calorie add-ons
- Share large restaurant salads or take half home for later
With some simple modifications, you can still enjoy the fresh flavors of a Greek salad without sabotaging your healthy diet.
Nutrition Info Per Serving
To understand how the calories add up in a typical Greek salad, here is the nutrition information per serving (based on 2 servings per salad):
| Ingredient | Amount | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Feta cheese | 2 oz / 56g | 150 |
| Kalamata olives | 10 olives | 80 |
| Olive oil | 2 Tbsp / 30mL | 240 |
| Tomatoes | 1 cup / 150g | 30 |
| Cucumbers | 1 cup / 104g | 16 |
| Onions | 1/2 cup / 80g | 32 |
| Bell peppers | 1 cup / 120g | 30 |
| Greek yogurt dressing | 2 Tbsp / 30g | 60 |
| Total | 638 |
As you can see, even a reasonably sized serving of Greek salad with some healthy modifications still comes in at over 600 calories. When dining out, be mindful of oversized restaurant portions that can easily provide 1,000+ calories in a single salad!
Ways to Burn off the Calories
If you’ve indulged in a high calorie Greek salad, here are some estimates for how much exercise it would take to burn it off:
- 30 minutes of jogging (for a 150 pound person) = 300 calories
- 45 minutes of swimming laps = 350 calories
- 60 minutes of hiking = 400 calories
- 90 minutes of gardening = 450 calories
- 120 minutes of golf (walking course) = 500 calories
The exact calories burned will depend on your body weight and exercise intensity. But you’d likely need 60-90 minutes of moderate exercise to burn off a large restaurant Greek salad approaching 1,000 calories.
The Bottom Line
While Greek salad is often perceived as a light and nutritious choice, it can also be deceptively high in calories thanks to ingredients like cheese, oil, olives, and creamy dressings. If you’re watching your calorie intake, go for healthy prep methods like using reduced-fat feta, limiting olives, and drizzling with vinegar. Enjoying Greek salads in moderation along with other nutritious low calorie foods can allow you to savor this appetizing dish as part of a healthy diet.
