The Nutrition of a Caesar Salad
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Romaine Lettuce
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Romaine lettuce contains relatively few calories, at about one calorie per 6-gram leaf. A cup of chopped romaine will yield roughly eight to 10 calories, while also providing an average of one gram of fiber and one gram of protein. With regard to vitamins, a one-cup serving of chopped romaine also provides approximately 82% of the recommended daily value of Vitamin A and 19% of Vitamin C, with 2% and 3% of Calcium and Iron, respectively.
Parmesan Cheese
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Parmesan cheese provides about 22 calories for a one-tablespoon serving, along with one gram of fat and two grams of protein. As a dairy product, Parmesan also provides some calcium, about 6% of the recommended daily value in a one-tablespoon serving. The more Parmesan that is added to the salad, the faster the calories and fat will increase, but not nearly as fast as from the dressing.
Croutons
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Crouton nutritional values change from brand to brand, including those made at home. The average, store-bought plain croutons provide about 30 calories per 1/4 cup serving, with one gram of protein. If the croutons are seasoned, the average calories is around 45 per 1/4-cup serving. When making croutons from scratch, the calories and nutrient values of the bread and other ingredients will combine to form the nutrition of the homemade croutons.
Dressing
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The average store-bought Caesar salad dressing provides roughly 80 calories per one-tablespoon serving. In addition to the calories, there is an average of eight grams of fat. If the salad is prepared in a restaurant, they often toss the lettuce and dressing together to coat every leaf, which can provide well more than 1/4 cup of dressing per plate-full, or according to this average calorie value, more than 320 calories just from the dressing.
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