Salad dressing doesn’t have a healthy reputation, typically adding lots of calories to a bowl of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.
But salad dressing can have health benefits if you choose the right type with certain ingredients and use it in moderation, dietitians say.
The main message is to keep eating all those nutritious greens and vegetables, says dietitian Teresa Fung, Sc.D., co-chair of the department of nutrition at Simmons University in Boston and an adjunct professor at the Harvard School of Public Health.
“I don’t want people to worry about salad dressing to the point that they’re not eating the salad,” Fung tells TODAY.com. “Eat the salad.”
Is bottled salad dressing healthy?
It depends on the ingredients.
There are three main concerns with store-bought salad dressing: sodium, added sugar and high amounts of saturated fat, Fung notes.
“People are aware that you need to watch salt. But what they’re not aware is there’s often a lot of sugar in salad dressings,” says Lisa Young, a registered dietitian in New York and author of “Finally Full, Finally Slim.”
Sugar is added to balance out the flavor and it’s also a preservative, both experts explain. Choose a salad dressing that has no more than 4 grams of added sugar per serving — the equivalent of 1 teaspoon.
“Think about it: If you’re eating a salad, how much sugar does it make sense to throw on top?” Fung notes.
“Would people really eat a salad and then throw a teaspoon of sugar on it?”
If sugar is within the first three ingredients, that’s a red flag, Young adds.
When it comes to salt, most Americans already eat double the recommended daily amount. Check your salad dressing’s nutrition label: A rough guideline is you shouldn’t eat more than 150 milligrams of sodium in a sitting, Fung advises.
Saturated fat can raise LDL cholesterol, which in turn raises the risk of heart disease and stroke, the American Heart Association warns. It suggests eating no more than 13 grams of saturated fat per day for the typical adult, but just two tablespoons of blue cheese dressing might deliver a quarter of that daily amount.
It’s much better to make your own salad dressing at home, both dietitians say. It tastes better, doesn’t have preservatives and you control the ingredients.
Is it healthy to put dressing on salad?
Yes, it can be healthy for a couple of reasons.
The fat in salad dressing helps your body absorb fat-soluble nutrients in the vegetables, such as lycopene in tomatoes and beta-carotene in carrots, the dietitians say.
The fat also provides satiety — a sense of fullness after eating. So does the vinegar, which keeps food in the stomach longer, so it helps people to feel full, Fung says.
But watch the amount you use: The typical salad dressing serving size is two tablespoons, but a restaurant might use a quarter cup, so it’s best to get it on the side, Young notes.
If your salad comes with a packet of dressing, Fung advises using half, mixing it in and seeing how that works instead of automatically pouring the whole thing in.
Avoid fat-free dressing, both dietitians advise. It won’t have the same benefits and it usually contains more sugar and other unwanted ingredients.
“Gone are the days where people were just focused on calories and fat-free. That’s not the healthiest of dressings,” Young cautions.
What is the healthiest dressing for a salad?
As long as you watch the salt and sugar, the top choices include:
Vinaigrette
This classic combination of vinegar and olive oil gets the highest marks from dietitians.
Extra virgin olive oil is very high in antioxidants, Fung says, but she also endorses vegetable oil.
Young uses apple cider or balsamic vinegar. Lemon juice can be used as an alternative acid.
Honey mustard
It’s sweet and tangy, and also olive oil-based.
Honey is still sugar, though — “If you’re making it yourself, great. If it’s a store-bought, (check) how much sugar it contains,” Young advises.
Yogurt-based dressing
Yogurt can provide the creamy texture for a dressing or dip with less saturated fat than sour cream.
Pesto-based dressing
Classic pesto includes lots of olive oil, basil, seasoning, some parmesan cheese and pine nuts or almonds.
Avocado-based dressing
Avocado is high in monounsaturated fat, a very healthy type of fat, Fung notes.
It’s still fat so if you’re having an avocado-based dressing, then don’t add avocado on top of that, Young adds.
“Avocado is good for you,” she says, “but more is not better.”
Tahini dressing
The sesame paste that makes it creamy is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, proteins and vitamin E.
Green goddess dressing
Made with olive oil, greens and herbs, this dressing is plant-based and creamy.
What is the unhealthiest salad dressing?
Young’s list includes traditionally saturated-fat, sodium-laden options such as Thousand Island, blue cheese, Caesar and ranch. She also cautions about fat-free raspberry dressing that’s very high in sugar.
Fung declined to name specific types of salad dressings, noting she prefers people focus on the ingredient list and avoid the products with lots of sodium, sugar and saturated fat.
If you love a dressing and it’s a special occasion, have it as a special treat when you go out and order it on the side, Young advises.
“Don’t keep it in the house,” she says.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
