How to Order at Just Salad.
Image courtesy of Just Salad
Just Salad is one of the easiest places to build a Balanced Meal because you can start with greens, add plenty of vegetables, choose your Quality Protein and decide whether you want a Complex Carb. The signature salads and Market Plates can work too, but some stack grains, legumes, corn and crunchy toppings in the same meal.
Build your own, or start with one of the stronger menu options and adjust it.
Build Your Meal
Non-Starchy Veggies
Romaine
Kale
Spinach
Arugula
Red cabbage
Supergreens
Plus tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, broccoli, beets, pickled onions or other vegetables
Quality Protein
Oven roasted chicken
Braised chicken thigh
Organic sesame tofu
Larger appetite or higher protein needs: add extra protein
Healthy Fats, pick two
Avocado
Feta, parmesan, cotija or cheddar
Pumpkin seeds or hemp hearts
Your dressing, on the side
Complex Carbs (Optional), choose one
Quinoa
Chickpeas or edamame
Corn
Sweet potato
Fruit
Croutons, pita, wonton strips or crunchy tortilla toppings
Skipping the Complex Carb?
Choose an additional Healthy Fat if you want one.
Make It Your Own
Balsamic Chicken Avocado
Romaine, oven roasted chicken, avocado, jammy egg, grape tomatoes and roasted corn with balsamic vinaigrette. This is one of my top picks. Chicken and egg give you Quality Protein, avocado gives you a Healthy Fat and corn can be your Complex Carb. Get the dressing on the side. Just Salad currently lists it at 33g protein.
Tokyo Supergreens with Chicken
Supergreens, oven roasted chicken, carrots, edamame, avocado, shaved broccoli and furikake with miso ginger vinaigrette. This one works well as built. Count the edamame as your Complex Carb, avocado as a Healthy Fat and get the dressing on the side. The current chicken version provides 36g protein and 13g fiber.
Parm Crunch Salad
One of the current summer options and a genuinely protein-forward choice at 50g protein. Keep the vegetables and Quality Protein, decide which crunchy or starchy addition you actually want as your Complex Carb, and get the dressing on the side.
Chicken Caesar
Romaine and kale, roasted chicken, parmesan and croutons with creamy Caesar dressing. The chicken handles your Quality Protein. Keep the croutons as your Complex Carb if you want them, or skip them and choose an additional Healthy Fat if you want one. Get the dressing on the side. Just Salad currently lists it at 36g protein.
Earth Bowl + Chicken
Arugula and kale with quinoa, feta, roasted beets, sweet potatoes and apples. Add chicken rather than relying on the plant ingredients alone for your Quality Protein. This one stacks quinoa, sweet potato and apple, so choose the Complex Carb you actually want and simplify the others if you prefer. The chicken version currently provides 40g protein.
Build Your Own
Start with greens, add your Quality Protein and plenty of Non-Starchy Veggies. Choose your Complex Carb if having one, add your Healthy Fats and get the dressing on the side. Just Salad currently offers Build Your Own directly on its menu.
Watch Out For
The carb stack. Quinoa + chickpeas, or sweet potato + quinoa + fruit, can turn one salad into several Complex Carb choices. You do not need to remove carbs. Choose the ones you actually want.
Crunch on autopilot. Croutons, crispy onions, wonton strips, pita and crunchy tortillas can fit. Just treat them as part of the meal rather than an invisible topping.
Crispy proteins. Current menu options include several crispy chicken salads. If you want crispy chicken, have it. For an everyday protein-forward build, oven roasted or braised chicken makes the Quality Protein choice simpler.
Vegetarian does not automatically mean high-protein. The current Tokyo Supergreens has 19g protein with tofu versus 36g with chicken, while the Earth Bowl has 16g without chicken and 40g with it. Choose the version that fits your needs rather than assuming every plant-based bowl automatically covers your Quality Protein.
Sweet sauces and dressings. They can still fit. Get the dressing on the side so you decide how much you actually want.
Notes
For the general rules, see how to order at a restaurant for weight loss.
You do not automatically need extra protein. Choose the portion that fits your appetite and needs.
Skipping your Complex Carb? You can choose an additional Healthy Fat.
Chickpeas and edamame contain both protein and carbohydrate. In the Eat Shed Glow® Method, count them as your Complex Carb rather than relying on them as your primary Quality Protein.
Just Salad changes seasonal salads and Market Plates, so check the current menu when ordering. The summer menu currently includes seasonal items such as Parm Crunch and Gochujang Chicken Market Plate.
If you have celiac disease or a food allergy, check Just Salad’s current nutrition and allergen information rather than relying on general rules.
This is your No B.S. Salad, built at a counter.
