Salad dressing

[ArtVandelay]

So I'm not really a big fan of salads unless I put dressing on it. Does this counter-act the health benefits of eating a salad?

[Dan.Linehan]

Yes, oils in general do.

[ArtVandelay]

Originally Posted by Dan.Linehan

Yes, oils in general do.

So am I better off not eating the salad and dressing combination?

[Lisa McGregor]

Oils are very important in your diet. A dressing of lemon juice and olive oil is tasty and healthy and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
L

[Dan.Linehan]

Well, shoot. Now I'll have to find my source.

Summary of the Scientific Conference on Dietary Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Health - Circulation

Olive Oil -- It's NOT good for your heart! -- Fast forward to 3 minutes.

Main point is that fats (oils) close your arteries. Oils are just fats in liquid form. Low fat, high vegetable diets have been shown time and time again to be healthier than higher fat diets.

Does any of that really matter when eating a salad? Probably not. Your overall fat intake is what you should be watching, not worrying about whether to put oil on a salad.

[bdp]

Salad dressing doesn't have to be unhealthy. There are low sodium, oil free dressings in many stores. I use balsamic vinegar. I believe Steve uses tahini with lemon juice.

[Dan.Linehan]

Lemon and Olive oil does sound good. Mmmm.

[silicon toad2000]

really depends what else is in your diet.
Check the nutrition label on the bottle and see the fat/oil content.
at the end of the day you need to consume fats carbs and protein. just be sure the balance is right.
The thing is, if you don't eat the salad, do you need to substitute it with another source of minerals and vitamins and what are you going to substitute it with.
When I travel for business, the place i normally stay has a great ceasar salad. I know the dressing is full of oil and fat, but they put grilled chicked or smoked salmon in it so i get a few carbs (not too many late at night) fats and protein. I also know that it's better for me than anything else on the menu.

The only thing I would suggest substituting a salad with a moderate amount of dressing with would be a selection of fruit or even better a bowl of steamed veggies.

[Ree]

Originally Posted by Dan.Linehan

Lemon and Olive oil does sound good. Mmmm.

Add a little white wine vinegar and Colman's mustard

[Old Soul]

Does this counter-act the health benefits of eating a salad?

well yes it does....... but* try the salad dressing spritz bottles, they seem to be a good idea as you are lightly peppering your salad with a moist droplet of flavoring of the dressing and not turning your salad into a soup with dressing as some people actually do lol............ I don't think i will ever give up salad dressing for the sake of eating 100 percent healthy,

balsamic vinegarettes are good for salad....not as fattening as the white dressings ( which I happen to love)

[technobeast]

I prefer balsamic vinegar and olive oil - this one helps more than brings harm actually, as others said.

[veranadine]

Actually a salad is a great way to get some essential nutrients into your diet.

I have been a vegetarian for several months now and love the fact that my daily salad is an excellent delivery system for natural liquids that have been proven to be highly beneficial to the vegetarian diet.

Every day I choose one item from each of the follow three lists and make a dressing out of it in the blender or just mixed in a bowl....

Oils
Olive
Hemp seed
Flax seed (my fave)
Walnut
Peanut
Sesame
Basil/Olive

Other liquids
Balsamic vinegar
Red Wine Vinegar
Cider Vinegar (the healthiest one)
Apple Juice
Orange Juice
Pineapple Juice
Tomato Juice

Solids
Peanuts
Raisins
Blueberries
Strawberries
Sesame Seeds
Sun-dried Tomatoes
Hemp Hearts

Have fun with your dressings. You can make your own at home by mixing any healthy/yummy garden herbs with fruits and nuts and storing them for 30 days in vinegar, then mix with oil over greens and voila! home-made salad dressing.

Don't worry about oils, if they are not the trans-fat, saturated fat variety, you will have a hard time eating too much of them.

Oils are healthy fats in general, as long as they are natural oils.

For more vegetarian recipe ideas you can check out this blog.

Blessings,

[24evita]

Originally Posted by Dan.Linehan

Well, shoot. Now I'll have to find my source.

Summary of the Scientific Conference on Dietary Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Health - Circulation

Olive Oil -- It's NOT good for your heart! -- Fast forward to 3 minutes.

Thank you for the links, especially the video. I have seen and read Jeff Novick's stuff before and it is amazing - so clear, concise and easy to understand and most importantly trustworthy!!!

As for the main topic, I have to say I struggle with that too as to enjoying salads and with no salad dressing. I have recently discovered a new way to make them tasty without the dressings...add fruits to them. Strawberries, raspberries, mandarines, oranges, etc are an amazing way to falvour your salad naturally through their juices!!! Very, very yummy

[evacorges]

My favourite dressing is yoghurt mixed with ginger syrup, about equal parts. sometimes a little lemon juice as well.

[ken nubo]

If you eat a big bowl of salad, I don't care what the dressing is, it's still good for you

[Keith]

Originally Posted by ArtVandelay

So am I better off not eating the salad and dressing combination?

Salad contains a lot of essential vitamins and minerals. Since most people don't eat enough fruit and vegetables I'm loath to tell you to avoid them - even if they have oil on them. (I assume "most people" includes you, given the question you asked).

However, as others have pointed out, the preferable solution is to make the salad more interesting in other ways.

Fruit is a yummy addition, as is quinoa, beans, nuts and seeds or even pasta, rice or chunks of meat. The salad can easily be an entire delicious meal in itself depending what you put in it.

[RRR]

I just had a revelation today....

Food combination states you shouldnt mix fats and fruits, so a lot of times when i would eat vegetables i wouldn't be able to eat fruits, as vegetables need some kind of flavoring or dressing..

Why not blend and pour fruits on top of your salads? I blended up four bananas and a cup of water, poured 2/3 of it on my romaine and mmmmm delicious.

The potential here seems entirely untapped to me. I've never heard of the concept of purely fruit dressing. With bananas the thickness and texture is similar to that of other dressings. The taste is sweet and you don't have to watch your fat! I feel like a genius. Its like a semi-inverted spin on the green smoothie

Try it out!

[Dan.Linehan]

Originally Posted by RRR

Why not blend and pour fruits on top of your salads? I blended up four bananas and a cup of water, poured 2/3 of it on my romaine and mmmmm delicious.

The potential here seems entirely untapped to me. I've never heard of the concept of purely fruit dressing. With bananas the thickness and texture is similar to that of other dressings. The taste is sweet and you don't have to watch your fat! I feel like a genius. Its like a semi-inverted spin on the green smoothie

Good call! I'll definitely be trying this!