The Sneaky Ingredients Ruining your Salad Dressings

Did you know your salad dressing could be making your salad unhealthy? Find out what bad-for-you ingredients could be hiding in your favorite salad dressing, and discover the healthiest salad dressings that are not only nutritional, but taste delicious as well!

 

Let’s be honest, the best part of a salad is the salad dressing! Creamy or light, sweet or tangy, you can’t have a salad without salad dressing! Salads are a great way to kick up your nutrition and get some much needed vitamins and minerals into your diet. They’re packed with fruits, veggies, fibre, and lots of nutrients that your body can benefit from. But, if you make this costly salad dressing mistake you could be one teaspoon away from not obtaining any benefit from your salad at all! And, since we know that you’re adding salads to your menu purely for its nutritional value, we’re not going to allow you to make this costly mistake anymore. 

Toss More Than Your Salad

You’re including salads into your diet, and that’s great! However, it is important to note that not every salad is a healthy salad. The difference? It’s all in the salad dressing! Salad dressing can take your salad from plain to flavourful with just a spoonful! Nonetheless, if you choose the wrong one it can take your salad from “nutritional powerhouse” status to “fast food” status. Choosing the right salad dressing is key to get the most out of your salads. After we teach you everything that you need to know to pick the best healthy salad dressing, we have no doubt that you’ll be tossing more than just your new and improved healthy salad. 

What is The Healthiest Dressing for a Salad?

Let’s put all our lettuce on the table. We all define the term “healthy” a little bit differently depending on our health goals and dietary preferences. There are many types of healthy salad dressing that have been created to suit certain lifestyles or dietary restrictions. Nonetheless, they may have ingredients that can compromise its healthy status. When shopping for a healthy salad dressing there are key elements that you’ll want to consider:

5. Added Sugar:

Most people wouldn’t generally consider salad dressings a source of sugar, however salad dressing can come loaded with as much sugar as a candy bar! Consuming this type of salad dressing will just add empty calories to your diet and cause weight gain or blood sugar spikes if eaten in excess. If you want a healthy salad dressing, you’ll have to turn the bottle around and take a peek at the nutrition facts table. Look for salad dressings that are low in sugar (<3g/ 2 Tbsp serving) or sugar-free. 

4. Sodium: 

Another ingredient that most don’t consider when choosing a salad dressing is sodium! Your body needs certain amounts of sodium, but too much sodium can cause problems such as high blood pressure and bloating. Look for salad dressings that are low in sodium (< 250mg/ 2 tbsp) for best results.

3. Calories: 

Calories may or may not be a concern for you depending on your lifestyle and health goals, however, it is always worthwhile to get more bang for your buck! Most salad dressings add empty calories to your diet. An empty calorie is a calorie obtained from a food with little to no nutritional value. Consumption of too many empty calories can lead to weight gain and malnutrition. It is best practice to choose lower calorie dressings and save these calories for something else!

2. Use of Artificial Colours or Preservatives: 

If it's not found in nature, you don’t want it in your salad dressing. Look for salad dressings with short and simple ingredient lists that you can actually understand to find the healthiest choice.

1. Use of Vegetable Oils:

If you sneak a peek at your current salad dressings ingredient list you may see soybean oil, canola oil, avocado oil, or some other concoction. Now, you may look at this and not think twice about it, but it is actually the most important part of the salad dressing. 

The type of oil used to make the dressing is what can make it or break it. When looking for a healthy salad dressing you’ll want one that is high in monounsaturated fats, and low in omega-6 fats. Monounsaturated fats are famous for their ability to protect the heart and they also may aid with weight loss. Omega-6 fats are not bad on their own, however the average person consumes too much of them. 

In general, you’ll want to stay clear of canola and soybean oils because these oils may be subject to partial hydrogenation. In the simplest terms, partial hydrogenation is the process that turns fats into trans fats. Trans fats have a bad reputation for negatively affecting your cholesterol levels and placing you at risk of serious conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stroke. Due to their high risk, trans fats have been banned in various places and must be listed on the nutrition facts table by law. 

To avoid trans fats, you’ll want to choose salad dressings made from avocado oil or olive oil whenever possible. Unlike soybean and canola oil, avocado oil and olive oil are natural oils that are rich in antioxidants, healthy fats, and nutrients that can reduce your risk of serious conditions.  So, don’t put your health at risk! Choose avocado oil or olive oil-based salad dressings whenever possible!

Healthy Salad Dressings to Buy:

We’ve got good news! Finding a healthy salad dressing in Canada is easier than you think! At Natura Market, we’ve done the work for you! We looked at all the nutritional information and assembled a team of the finest healthy salad dressings that you could find. Here are some of our favourite (and your soon to be favourite) healthy salad dressing brands: 

Chosen Foods

Chosen by the salad-Gods themselves, Chosen Foods avocado oil healthy salad dressings are heavenly! Chosen Foods salad dressings are free of added sugars, dairy, gluten, artificial ingredients, and everything that you don’t want in your salad dressing. The flavours of these keto-friendly and vegan salad dressings range from light and tangy to creamy and rich. With 10 delicious flavours to choose from, you’ll be craving salads every night!

G Hughes

The king of sugar-free everything! Originally known for his keto-friendly BBQ game, G Hughes took on a new leaf (pun intended) and created sugar-free salad dressings that will make you fall in love with salads again. Whether you’re in the mood for a sweet vinaigrette or an exotic asian miso dressing, G Hughes has got you covered. Made with olive oil, these sugar-free salad dressings are packed with antioxidants, 2 or less grams of net carbs per serving, and less sugar than most salad dressings on the market! Dairy-free, gluten-free, and keto-friendly, these are healthy salad dressings that you won’t want to miss!

The New Primal

With The New Primal, you’ll never eat a flavourless salad again! The New Primal healthy salad dressings bring the flavour and the nutrients! Made with avocado oil and all-natural ingredients, these healthy salad dressings are free of added sugar, gluten, dairy, and are completely Whole30, keto, and paleo-friendly. Available in unique flavours like sriracha tahini and citrus zest, these healthy salad dressing will be your new obsession in no time. 

Primal Kitchen

Primal Kitchen’s healthy salad dressings will turn your world upside down! These paleo and keto-friendly salad dressings use the finest organic ingredients to help you obsess over salads. Made with avocado oil, these salad dressings are rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, and silky smooth! And, with over 10 different flavours, you’ll easily find the perfect pair for any type of salad. 

Key Take-Aways & Final Discussion: 

The salad dressing is the most important part of a salad. Choosing a salad dressing made with the right ingredients is crucial to get the most out of your salad. The best healthy dressings for salads are free of added sugars and artificial ingredients, low in sodium, and made with oils with high levels of monounsaturated fats like avocado and olive oil. Whether you enjoy giving your salads a light drizzle or a decent shower, choosing the right healthy salad dressing can make the difference between passing up on salad and reaching for seconds. At Natura Market, we make your search for the best healthy salad dressing as easy as can be! Whether you’re on the search for something creamy and herby or light and fruity, you can always count on Natura Market to offer you the best healthy salad dressings! Find your perfect match here!