Don’t Fall Into the Non-Fat Salad Dressing Trap: Extra Virgin Olive Oil Is Better
If you’re wanting to either trim down and/or maintain exceptional health, it seems like a rational decision to use fat-free dressing on your salads.
Think again! This couldn’t be further from the truth. Fat-free doesn’t necessarily translate to “healthy.”
Not only are they often loaded with sugar, sodium and preservatives to make them taste better, but clinical research has suggested that eating fat-free versions of foods can lead to eliminating essential nutrients from your diet.
Where salad dressing is concerned, studies have revealed that fat-free dressings actually inhibit the absorption of nutrients from greens and veggies. For example, a study conducted by Purdue University, saw volunteers eat salads topped with dressings featuring varying degrees of fats. It was discovered that those who consumed fat-free dressing absorbed a tiny bit of beta-carotene and other nutrients. On the other hand, those who ate the highest fat dressing absorbed the greatest amount of beta-carotene, alpha-carotene and lycopene.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Salad Dressing
- Prepare Homemade Dressing
When you make your own dressing, you know exactly what ingredients are in there. - Use Fresh Ingredients
The fresher your ingredients, the more value they offer your body. Plus, they just taste better. - Choose a Healthy Oil
Extra virgin olive oil is perfect, along with a good vinegar (balsamic or champagne) or a citrus juice (orange or lemon), and some fresh ground pepper and herbs.
Click here for a yummy, nutrient-rich recipe.
There’s a Limit to How Much Dressing You Should Consume
It’s important that you don’t soak your salad with too much dressing. Two tablespoons usually does the trick. If you’re still concerned about calories, serve the two tablespoons of dressing on the side and dip your fork into it before spearing your salad greens.
If you need to stretch your dressing, all you need to do is use a bit of water. This will allow you to fully taste the deliciousness of your ingredients, while maximizing your intake of SuperNutrients.
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