|
Choose
dressings thoughtfully and eat more salads
October 20, 05
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
It’s time to turn a new leaf.
Eating frequent – and big – green salads is a
good way to cut calories and help you control your weight.
A large salad as the main course once a day can cut several
hundred calories from your daily diet – enough to help
some people shed up to a half pound a week.
That assumes, of course, that salad dressings don’t
heap back on the calories you dodged by skipping the lasagna
or meatloaf.
Two tablespoons of some salad dressings – the standard
portion listed on product labels – can add up to 200
calories to a meal. Ladle on more and the mixed greens may
as well be a plate of cheese nachos.
But calories aren’t the only criterion for a healthy
dressing. The best salad dressings are also low in sodium
and saturated fat.
Only a couple tablespoons of salad dressing can pack up to
500 milligrams of sodium, more than one third the amount of
sodium any of us should have in a day. Cheese, eggs and mayo
add saturated fat to creamy dressings such as Roquefort and
Bleu Cheese.
Thankfully, though, you don’t have to limit yourself
to a squirt of lemon juice over your baby spinach leaves.
In fact, salad dressings don’t have to be a problem
at all. There are enough good choices to keep you interested
in eating salad most days of the year.
What to look for:
* The lowest calorie options. Compare brands to find those
lower in calories – up to about 100 per serving. Experiment
to find the varieties you like best. Oil-based dressings spread
more easily than thick, creamy dressings, so you may need
less dressing and save calories. Taking dressing “on
the side” also works: Dip forkfuls of salad into dressing
and you’ll likely use less than if you poured dressing
directly on the salad.
* Dressings with the least sodium. Compare brands and buy
those lowest in sodium. You’re doing well if you can
hold the sodium to under 200 milligrams per serving. One of
my favorite dressings is homemade, with less than 50 milligrams
of sodium in 2 tablespoons: Whisk together the juice of half
a lemon, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive
oil, 2 teaspoons salsa, _ teaspoon paprika, and 1/8 teaspoon
dried tarragon leaves. Chill and whisk again before serving.
Makes two servings, about 120 calories each.
Of course, you can do even better if you stick with vinegar
and oil. I loved the salads my grandmother made with lettuce
from her garden tossed with plain cider vinegar and oil. You
can vary it today, though, by buying flavored vinegars –
raspberry, tarragon – and other varieties including
balsamic and rice vinegar. Try oils flavored with fruit essences
or infused with herbs and spices. Walnut oil is another good
choice. It has a distinctive flavor that goes well with a
salad of fresh baby greens, sliced red onion, tomato and black
olives.
* Low saturated fat content. Most salad dressings are relatively
low in saturated fat, since vegetable oil is one of the main
ingredients. Check labels to be sure, and choose those with
less than 2 milligrams of saturated fat per 2 tablespoon serving.
Some varieties of Bleu Cheese and other mayo- and cheese-based
dressings have far more.
Need more specifics? The Center for Science in the Public
Interest in October published a list of healthiest commercial
salad dressings in its Nutrition Action Healthletter (a great
resource that I’ve recommended in past columns). Among
the best: Brianna’s Lemon Tarragon, Drew’s All
Natural Raspberry, Ken’s Steak House Lite Salsa Ranch
and Lite Ranch, Marie’s Raspberry Vinaigrette and Red
Wine Vinaigrette, and my personal favorite, Newman’s
Own Light Raspberry & Walnut.
Remember: Summer may be behind us, but it’s worth maintaining
a salad habit year ’round.
|
