How to Choose Your Healthy Salad Dressing?

Every dietitian’s advice for weight loss is to eat salad but just as much as important what to put ingredients in the salad, it is also important what to choose as a dressing because it might be loaded with calories.

Here is how to choose a healthy salad dressing:

1.Go for healthy fats for a dressing: Fat is good, it can help you absorb the fat soluble vitamins and it can slow down the digestion process which can make you feel full longer. Healthy fats that come from oils can be heart healthy. Fat free dressings are processed and not nutritious.
2.Leave the creamy dressings for special occasions only: you can consider creamy dressings as a treat and have them once in a while because it is loaded with calories and will not help you in your weight loss plan. The main problem is that creamy sauces contain saturated fats, usually 1.5-3 g per serving which is harmful to the heart. So don’t undo your healthy salad choice with an unhealthy salad dressing.
3.Drizzle do not drench: Even when you choose a healthy salad dressing too much of it can be high in calories. It is better to measure 2 tablespoons and add them on the salad.
4.The main three ingredients should be water, oil and vinegar: This is the healthy base that your salad dressing should contain. Water and vinegar are calorie free. oil is the only one that adds the calories. Make sure that you get only 0.5 g of saturated fats per serving. The rest of the ingredients should be natural like spices, herbs and other seasonings.
5.Make your own salad dressing: the best way to ensure that your salad dressing is healthy it’s by making it by yourself. Here is a healthy dressing that you can try it at home

VINAIGRETTE DRESSING FOR ANY SALAD

•1/2 cup olive oil
•1/4 cup vinegar
•1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
•2 garlic cloves, pressed
•2-3 teaspoons fresh lemon juicer
• Salt
•Fresh ground pepper

Combine all ingredients in a salad dressing shaker and shake well to combine.

Christelle Bedrossian
Dietitian-Nutritionist
Beirut, Lebanon