Low Calorie Recipes: Store Bought Salad Dressings
Low Calorie Recipes: Store Bought Salad Dressings
For a lot of my clients, and myself, we take our bodies to the extreme and get down to single digit body fat levels. So having low calorie recipes to choose from can really help our goals. Products that REDUCE their carbohydrate content and fat content can and will help achieve our goals without having to sacrifice too much variety and taste. So as long as one sticks to their daily Protein, Carb, Fat, and Fiber intake requirements each day while getting the needed micronutrients, they can get the results they’re looking for.
I found a new store in Burnaby BC that carries a variety of “health” products and alternative food options for good prices and they ship too! Its called The Low Carb Grocery.
The Shipping
First off the shipping was awesome. I ended up buying 4 different bottles of Walden Farms Salad Dressings and 1 pound of Peanut Flour and spent about $7.00 on shipping. Now I am located in North Delta and The Low Carb Grocery is located in Burnaby but not too far from where I live. I ordered the evening before and it arrived the morning after so I was very pleased! They also had great customer service.
I’m NOT saying everything they sell in The Low Carb Grocery is good. A lot of it is BS crap I probably wouldn’t ever recommend to my clients BUT they do have a decent amount of alternative foods products and decent prices.
On To The Products
One the most frequent questions I get from clients and from people trying to lose weight is “what can I use for salad dressings?”
This is a great question because it means they are attempting to eat MORE vegetables which in all honesty is a very wise choice. I usually recommend making your own citric dressings out of freshly squeezed lemon juice or Apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and then adding your own spices and sea salt to taste. This works just fine and since you can switch up your spices and herbs every now and then it doesn’t get too boring. That being said there are those who really miss the classical salad dressings offered like caesar dressings, coleslaw, creamy bacon, thousand island, Ranch etc.. etc…
It took a few years and a couple American Walmart’s until I finally got to try Walden Farms zero calorie salad dressings and I’m very pleased I have. The problem I have with conventional salad dressings is a lot of them contain less then favorable oils such as Soybean oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, canola oil, and even worse transfat. These high omega-6 oils have been shown, when consumed to excess, to increase inflammation which can lead to chronic diseases and cases such as heart disease and when lifestyle choices are also poorly chosen. Soy has had its own problems and conflicts in both the scientific community and with anecdotal evidence. (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8)
Taking it a step further and trying low/zero calorie dressing such as Walden Farms products can really add a boost to one’s goal of getting to lean competition condition or simply getting a six pack for the summer.
Are they Healthy?
When someone says that a product is “refined” or it has “low fat” or “low sugar” it is commonly thought of as having harmful chemicals. This is not always the case and grouping all of these foods in that category really misses the boat when it comes to some products that can make our goals more achievable.
“Great taste, no calories – we use only the finest ingredients in Walden Farms Specialties. Concentrated Natural Flavors.Walden Farms irresistibly sweet calorie free specialties are prepared with real fruit extracts, concentrated natural flavors, rich cocoa and other natural flavorings, all sweetened with Splenda. Our savory specialties are made with hundreds of freshly ground herbs and spices, concentrated natural flavors and the finest aged imported and domestic vinegars. See for yourself.” – Walden Farms Nutrition Facts
I am going to list the Salad dressings that I bought this week and give you my taste test opinion and also some of the ingredients they use that I will attempt to justify as to why they are safe for consumption.
*These reviews are VERY subjective so be forewarned, what I consider good may not at all be what YOU consider good.
Raspberry vinaigrette:
– Sweet and sour raspberry flavour
– Tangy
– I’ve had this one before and it went great with my Spinach salad with strawberries, figs, and toasted almonds
Nutrition Label:
Sodium Benzoate?
– Benzoates are SAFE to consume for the vast majority of the population AND People with rhinitis, asthma, or hives may want to limit their intake if they think they might be sensitive (11)
Sucralose?
– ALL of the scientific data INDICATES that sucralose is safe for long-term consumption by the vast majority of people, when consumed at amounts below the ADI (12,13,14)
Creamy bacon:
– Had a strong bacon flavour
– Tastes just like real creamy bacon dressing
Xanthan Gum?
– The World Health Organization (WHO) has set the maximum acceptable intake for xanthan gum as a food additive at 10 mg/kg per day and as a laxative at 15 grams per day. For safety and effectiveness, bulk laxatives such as xanthan gum require extra fluids.
– It is commonly used as a thickening and stabilizing agent in food and medicines.
– 2 year study on rats found no toxicity (9)
Bacon Soy Bits?
– I am NOT a big fan of soy food products in general but the small quantities in imitation bacon bits is small
– Provided you get plenty iodine and don’t have thyroid issues I wouldn’t worry about your consumption of this dressing (10)
Sodium Benzoate?
– Benzoates are SAFE to consume for the vast majority of the population AND People with rhinitis, asthma, or hives may want to limit their intake if they think they might be sensitive (11)
Sucralose?
– ALL of the scientific data INDICATES that sucralose is safe for long-term consumption by the vast majority of people, when consumed at amounts below the ADI (12,13,14)
Honey Dijon:
– Mustardy taste
– Not very sweet but more sour and tangy
– When I ended up adding a tiny bit of honey it begin to taste much more like honey mustard (go figure)
Xanthan Gum?
– The World Health Organization (WHO) has set the maximum acceptable intake for xanthan gum as a food additive at 10 mg/kg per day and as a laxative at 15 grams per day. For safety and effectiveness, bulk laxatives such as xanthan gum require extra fluids.
– It is commonly used as a thickening and stabilizing agent in food and medicines.
– 2 year study on rats found no toxicity (9)
Sodium Benzoate?
– Benzoates are SAFE to consume for the vast majority of the population AND People with rhinitis, asthma, or hives may want to limit their intake if they think they might be sensitive (11)
Sucralose?
– ALL of the scientific data INDICATES that sucralose is safe for long-term consumption by the vast majority of people, when consumed at amounts below the ADI (12,13,14)
Coleslaw:
– It tastes like coleslaw
– Tangy
Xanthan Gum?
– The World Health Organization (WHO) has set the maximum acceptable intake for xanthan gum as a food additive at 10 mg/kg per day and as a laxative at 15 grams per day. For safety and effectiveness, bulk laxatives such as xanthan gum require extra fluids.
– It is commonly used as a thickening and stabilizing agent in food and medicines.
– 2 year study on rats found no toxicity (9)
Sodium Benzoate?
– Benzoates are SAFE to consume for the vast majority of the population AND People with rhinitis, asthma, or hives may want to limit their intake if they think they might be sensitive (11)
Sucralose?
– ALL of the scientific data INDICATES that sucralose is safe for long-term consumption by the vast majority of people, when consumed at amounts below the ADI (12,13,14)
Now let’s be clear here.
I’m not saying you should be downing these bottles everyday at excessively large quantities nor am I saying that they do not contain calories. They do, just trace amounts much like you would find from your herbs and spices (5 Calories or less).
I’m also not claiming that these dressings taste exactly like the traditional kinds because they don’t. But they do taste very much like the traditional ones and everyone will have a different palette for each kind. Don’t complain to me when you buy 4 boxes worth and find out they make you wan’t to upchuck.
Try some out and find which ones you enjoy.
For some low calorie recipes for condiments click here. And for more store bought products click here and here.
Disclaimer: I am NOT at all affilated with The Low Carb Grocery or Walden Farms products, I just found their website and tried their service and products and was very pleased and I think many clients and people like you could benefit.
References:
1. A high linoleic acid diet increases oxidative stress in vivo and affects nitric oxide metabolism in humans. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 1998
7. Soy food Intake during Adolescence and Subsequent Risk of Breast Cancer among Chinese Women, Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2001