This post has been updated since it was originally published on March 19, 2021.
When it comes to healthy eating, salads are often pegged as the best option for weight loss. However, how you construct your salad has major bearing on its health benefits, and depending on the dressing you opt for, it may become just as unhealthy as any other meal. Many salad dressings are surprisingly high in calories, sugar, and fat, quickly making a calorie deficit more difficult to maintain. So, if you want to ensure you’re getting all the great benefits from your salad, there’s one dressing variation that makes weight loss incrementally more difficult than the rest.
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“Fat-free salad dressings—including French and Italian dressings—are terrible for weight loss because they contain sugar and empty calories. These salad dressings are not much healthier for you than drinking sugar water,” explains InstantPot Life nutritionist Heather Hanks. While you may be tempted to turn towards a fat-free option thinking that it will be healthier, this is actually a misleading classification that can cause you to consume more calories than intended and lose all benefits from your salad.
“Fat-free foods are not as filling as foods that contain whole, natural fats. Olive oil is a much better salad dressing because it contains anti-inflammatory monounsaturated fatty acids to keep you full, slow down blood glucose dumping, and reduce total calorie intake,” says Hanks. She also explains that in the case of a French dressing, the fat-free variation contains both corn syrup and sugar which can cause inflammation in the body and make weight loss more difficult.
Most store bought salad dressings contain a number of ingredients which may take away the nutritional value of your salad, so making your own at home is going to be your best option to help you lose weight. “You can use two parts olive oil with one part vinegar (fermented red wine vinegar) in the form of two tablespoons of olive oil and one tablespoon vinegar. You can also use freshly squeezed lemon juice in place of vinegar. Add in some of your favorite spices, such as oregano, salt, garlic, and cumin. The healthy fats in olive oil will help you absorb the antioxidants from the herbs and the rest of your meal, which can help reduce inflammation and fight obesity,” suggests Hanks.
Salads are, in fact, a great addition to your diet for healthy weight loss. However, fat-free dressings will do you no favors towards reaching your goals, and you’ll be better served making your own mixture at home so that you’re actually aware of the ingredients involved. Fat-free dressings are high in sugar and calories which may cause bloating and discomfort and are not nearly as healthy as they promise to be. In order to make the most out of your salad, consider creating your own dressing instead of choosing the fat-free option so you know exactly what you’re putting in your body to help you lose weight.
