These Are the 3 Worst Salad Dressings for Your Health | The Hospital of Central Connecticut (2024)

FAQs

What is the most unhealthy salad dressing? ›

Caesar dressing. Made up of mayonnaise, cheese, salt and oil (and all too often, anchovies), Caesar tends to be one of the least healthy options out there. Those ingredients cause it to be high in both saturated fats and sodium.

In Western culture, there are three basic types of salad dressing: Vinaigrette; Creamy dressings, usually based on mayonnaise or fermented milk products, such as yogurt, sour cream (crème fraîche, smetana), buttermilk; Cooked dressings, which resemble creamy dressings, but are usually thickened by adding egg yolks and ...

Packaged dressings are also often full of preservatives, sodium and high fructose corn syrup and other hidden sugars. Potential health concerns caused by these ingredients can be compounded by using more dressing than the recommended serving size – something many people do without realizing.

Oil and vinegar.

“This is a great option, because it won't have any added sugar or salt,” says Allers. “But the type of oil is important. Opt for olive or avocado oil over an alternative like canola or soybean oil.” These healthy oils are packed with antioxidants, and can even help lower cholesterol.

Harris-Pincus explains, "Those looking to follow a lower-carb plan or people watching added sugars would do better avoiding sweeter dressings like Honey Mustard, Thousand Island, French or Catalina, and choose oil and vinegar or a balsamic vinaigrette."

French dressing is the oldest one on our list, but vinegar and oil dressing goes back nearly two-thousand years to ancient Babylonia.

Ranch Dressing

The ranch is hands down America's most beloved salad dressings. It is made from a number of ingredients such as buttermilk, mayonnaise, mustard, garlic, onion, chives, salt, and pepper.

Adding dressing, condiments, or cheese will not remove vegetable nutrients. Adding those extra ingredients to your vegetables will not give them less fiber or less vitamins. By adding cheese to your vegetables, you'll add some protein to it, which will help make them more satisfying.

Is mayonnaise a healthy dressing? ›

Mayonnaise is a favourite condiment of most of the people, but health wise it is not a good option. Mayonnaise is high in calories and fat. One tablespoon of mayonnaise has upto 100 calories and 11 grams of fat. Although it mostly contains unsaturated fat, it is difficult to control the portion size.

Salad cream has around half the calories, and a third of the fat compared to mayonnaise. The sugar and salt are increased because of this, but not to the level of some other dressings we looked at. So, using a small amount of salad cream instead of mayonnaise could make quite a significant difference.

Cream-based salad dressings use dairy or eggs as their base. For some people, these foods are not always preferable to limit cholesterol intake. Dressings like Thousand Island and ranch are cream-based and may be high in cholesterol.

Excess consumption of omega-6s can trigger the body to produce pro-inflammatory chemicals. These fatty acids are found in oils such corn, safflower, sunflower, grapeseed, soy, peanut, and vegetable; mayonnaise; and many salad dressings.

Fresh Creative Foods is recalling cremas, everything sauces, cilantro cotija dressing, poblano Caesar dressing, cilantro dressing and one taco kit due to a cheese ingredient potentially contaminated with Listeria, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

While ranch dressing is the clear winner, Caesar, buttermilk, elderberry vinaigrette and bleu cheese dressing also appear in the top five. Are you a salad dressing fanatic? Here's everything you need to know about its impact on your health.

Ranch Dressing

The ranch is hands down America's most beloved salad dressings. It is made from a number of ingredients such as buttermilk, mayonnaise, mustard, garlic, onion, chives, salt, and pepper. A creamier and richer version often features sour cream or yogurt for enhanced taste.

As tempting as it may be to dip your veggies (or fried cheese curds) in ranch, it just barely does better than its cousin, mayonnaise. At 8 grams of fat per tablespoon, you may be better off skipping the dip.

Many salad dressings can be high in fat, sodium and sugar. Cream-based dressings can be particularly high in saturated fats. How to make it healthier? Use salad dressing in moderation and try to stick to oil- or vinegar-based dressings.