Remember the days when health-conscious people would order salads in restaurants and confidently say, “No dressing, please”—thinking that avoiding the fat in dressing was doing them a favor? Or they might ask for just some lemon juice on the salad—again, no fat!
Of course, we now know better—we know that eating salad dry, with no dressing, can greatly reduce the amount of nutrients that we absorb from that salad, because fat aids absorption.
So adding dressing is definitely a good idea.
But which kind—and how much—is best?
And another question—what if the salad itself contains fatty ingredients such as nuts or cheese? Do they do the trick so that there’s no need to use dressing to get the best nutritional benefit?
A new study helps answer some of these questions.
In the study, researchers wanted to see whether the type of fat (monounsaturated, polyunsaturated or saturated) and/or the amount of fat used on salads would affect a person’s absorption rate of the salad’s main antioxidants (the carotenoids—including lutein, zeaxanthin, alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and lycopene).
Now, you are probably going to find this to be a little strange, as I did, but the researchers didn’t use common dressings in the study (such as olive oil or ranch). They used canola oil (which contains mostly monounsaturated fat), soybean oil (which contains mostly polyunsaturated fat) and butter (a saturated fat). “We used canola instead of olive due to its wider use in prepared dressings. And we decided not to use prepared salad dressings, such as ranch, because we wanted to test the fats themselves—without all the other ingredients that are in prepared salad dressings,” said Shellen Goltz, PhD, RD, a coauthor of the study.
One interesting finding: The people who poured the smallest amount (just three-fifths of a teaspoon) of canola oil on their salads absorbed more than twice as many carotenoids as those who consumed an equal amount of soybean oil or butter on their salads. Interestingly, consuming greater amounts of canola oil did not increase absorption any more than consuming just three-fifths of a teaspoon—it just added calories.
If you don’t like the taste of canola oil on your salad, you may want to reach for another oil that’s high in monounsaturated fats—olive oil. If neither canola nor olive oil suits your taste, you could try peanut oil or sesame oil.
And what if the salad itself contains ingredients that are high in monounsaturated fats, such as macademia nuts, olives, hazelnuts, pecans or avocado? Would those types of ingredients be as helpful in aiding absorption as, say, olive oil? It’s likely, said Dr. Goltz.
You probably noticed that when it comes to making a salad dressing with a monounsaturated fat, the most healthful amount from this study is tiny—just around a teaspoonful or so if you consider the oil plus any other ingredients. And you wouldn’t think such a small amount of dressing would provide much flavor. But hold on—if you have gotten used to the relatively bland salad dressings sold in supermarkets and served at restaurants, you are in for a treat. Based on the results of the study, we asked cookbook author Cathy Charles how readers could make dressing that packs a ton of flavor into a small amount, and she was happy to provide us with the three recipes below. The foundation of each dressing is either olive oil or canola oil—and each provides a different, zesty kick.
Be sure to follow the preparation instructions, because how you make these dressings is as important as what you put into them. (For example, mashing a clove of garlic with salt before you make the dressing helps mellow the garlic and deepen the flavor.) Use just a little dressing for each serving of salad…toss the salad well so the dressing is spread around…and you will have the tastiest and most healthful salads ever!
Garlicky Herb Vinaigrette
Makes about one-half cup (24 teaspoons)
Ingredients:
1 to 2 garlic cloves
¼ tsp salt
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard (if desired)
5 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp minced fresh herbs, such as chives, tarragon or parsley (if desired)
Black pepper to taste
Directions: Peel the garlic and smash the clove(s) on a cutting board with the broad side of a chef’s knife. Place the salt on the smashed clove, and finely chop salt into the garlic. Scrape the garlic into a wide mouthed jar, and add the vinegar and lemon juice. Swirl it around and let sit for several minutes. Add Dijon mustard (if using) and whisk to combine. Slowly drizzle in five tablespoons of the olive oil, whisking all the while. Add chopped herbs if using. Dab a little bit of the mixture onto a lettuce leaf to taste it and check for balance. Add more of particular ingredients as needed. Add pepper according to taste, and whisk again before tossing with salad.
Energizing Eastern Blend
Makes about one cup (48 teaspoons)
Ingredients:
1 thumb-sized knob of peeled ginger (for 1 to 2 Tbsp grated)
¼ cup orange juice
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard (if desired)
½ cup organic canola oil (or olive oil)
Black pepper to taste
Directions: Grate the ginger and add it to a wide-mouthed jar with the orange juice, balsamic vinegar and soy sauce. Let sit for a few minutes for the flavors to combine. Whisk in the Dijon mustard (if using), then slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking as you go. Taste for balance and adjust as needed. Add black pepper to taste, and whisk again before serving.
Spicy Santa Fe Dressing
Makes a little less than one cup (40 teaspoons)
Ingredients:
1 to 2 garlic cloves
¼ tsp salt
1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp black pepper or more to taste
½ cup organic canola oil (or olive oil)
Directions: Peel and smash the garlic on a cutting board with the broad side of a chef’s knife. Pour the salt directly on the garlic, and finely chop the two together. Add the garlic/salt combination to the lime juice, and let sit a few minutes for the flavors to combine. Add the cumin and black pepper, then gradually drizzle in the oil as you whisk. Taste and adjust as needed, and whisk again before serving.
Sources: Shellen Goltz, PhD, RD, a postdoctoral research associate in the nutritional sciences department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a coauthor of a study published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. This study was conducted while she completed her doctorate at Purdue University.
Cathy Charles, a Connecticut-based cookbook writer who is coauthor of Gluten-Free Baking with The Culinary Institute of America (Adams Media Corp), Artisan Breads at Home with The Culinary Institute of America (Wiley) and the upcoming Nutritional Baking (Culinary Institute/Wiley).
