HOUSTON – The wrong choice salad dressing can overload your lunch with sugar and fat. Plus, the healthiest choices to give you a creamy texture might not even be in the aisle with dressings.
Nicole Cornelious, registered dietitian with Herbivore RD, said you can add vinegar, mustard, citrus juice, avocado and herbs to a salad for an easy, creamy and flavorful taste without preservatives or processed ingredients.
Citrus, Herbs and Avocado
“The most healthy dressings are actually in people's kitchens already. That would be lemon juice, lime juice, vinegar, dried herbs and if you want a more creamy feel you can add avocado or tahini which is just ground sesame seeds,” she said.
Tahini
Tahini is the main ingredient in hummus, but Cornelious said by itself it is perfect to add flavor on your veggies.
“Tahini is really good at absorbing the flavor that you add to it. So, if you add lemon juice, lime juice, soy sauce or any type of vinegar… that's the flavor that you're going to taste.”
Be careful with olive oil
Cornelious does not suggest straight olive oil. She said even though it's a heart-healthy oil, it's still fattening. If you do prefer the taste of oil as a dressing make sure you're not overdoing it, limit yourself to one or two tablespoons, more than that will push you over your daily calories.
“It is true that olive oil is very high in unsaturated or monounsaturated fat which is heart healthy. However, it does still have saturated fat which is approximately 17% of its fat calories. We technically don't need the olive oil to be heart-healthy or decrease our risk of heart disease,” she said.
Beware of store-bought dressings
Cornelious said salad dressings from the store contain added oil, preservatives and lots of sugar! She is especially opposed to ranch, blue cheese and Thousand Island.
The worst dressings are non-fat
Perhaps surprisingly, she said the worst dressings are the low-fat versions!
“What they do for the light salad dressings, they take out one ingredient but they replace it with something else. So for example, if something says fat-free, it is fat-free because they took out the oil but they're adding in more sugar or more salt to make it taste good,” she said.
Vinegar
If you must buy store-bought, Cornelious recommends vinaigrettes, raspberry vinegar or hummus. Just remember to check the label, rule of thumb is if you can pronounce all the words, it doesn't contain fattening, unnecessary ingredients.
Herbivore RD's favorite homemade dressings
Creamy Cilantro Garlic Dressing
from forks over knives
tip: include some cilantro stems along with the leaves for the boldest flavor. or improvise by substituting other fresh herbs for the cilantro: basil, parsley, or mint all make a lively dressing.
Instructions:
combine the tofu, vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic in a blender or food processor, and purée until smooth.
add the cilantro, and process again just until the cilantro is chopped.
pour the dressing into a jar, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 5 days.
Green Goddess Dressing
Makes about 2 cups; from thug kitchen
1 ripe medium avocado
¼ cup tahini
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon braggs or tamari
1 garlic clove, chopped
¼ cup minced fresh herbs*
Salt and pepper