Making Healthier Tuna or Chicken Salad

How can you make a healthier tuna, chicken, or crab salad? The answer is finally here!

Tuna, chicken, and crab salads are often prepared with mayonnaise to make them creamy, which unfortunately, only makes them higher in saturated fat and overall calories.

Here is a comparison of regular mayo, reduce-fat mayo, and 0% plain Greek yogurt:

Nutrition Information per serving: 1 Tablespoon

Regular Mayo:
Calories: 90 kcal,
Fat: 10 g,
Saturated Fat: 2 g,
Carbohydrate: 0 g,
Protein: 0 g,
Sodium 70 mg

Reduced-Fat Mayo:
Calories: 35 kcal,
Fat: 4 g,
Saturated Fat: 1 g,
Carbohydrate: 1g,
Protein: 0 g,
Sodium 125 mg

0% Greek Yogurt:
Calories: 35 kcal,
Fat: 0 g,
Saturated Fat: 0 g,
Carbohydrate: 0g,
Protein: 0 g,
Sodium 45 mg

As shown above, the best low fat substitute to regular mayo or even reduced fat mayo in these types of salads is 0% plain Greek yogurt. The yogurt is thick and creamy with no fat and still creates the appearance and consistency that is favored for a sandwich or tuna, chicken & crab salad.

Refer to this week’s featured low cholesterol recipe of Crabmeat Salad Stuffed Cucumber Cups, for a tasty crabmeat salad made with 0% plain Greek yogurt.

Recipe

Crabmeat Salad Stuffed Cucumber Cups

Change the appearance of your crabmeat salad appetizer or lunch by filling cucumber cups, small sweet peppers, tomatoes, and mushrooms with crabmeat salad instead of typically on a sandwich or a bed of lettuce.

Ingredients:

Yield: 6 servings (¼ cup of crab salad per serving)

•    1 cup of lump crabmeat  (can substitute canned tuna or chicken)
•    1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
•    ¼ cup of fresh chives, chopped
•    1/8 cup of red onion, minced
•    ½ cup of 0% plain Greek yogurt
•    ½ tablespoon of old bay seasoning
•    1 large cucumber, cut into 4-6 thick slices

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix all crab salad ingredients together. Scoop out the inside of each large cucumber slice, leaving a thin layer at the bottom. Fill the cucumber cups with the crabmeat salad.

Nutrition Per Serving: Calories: 46 kcal, Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 33 mg, Carbohydrates: 2g, Dietary Fiber: 0g, Protein: 8 g, Sodium: 255 mg