What’s In Your Salad Dressing?

One of the most popular “meals” that people think of when they want to lose weight is a salad. It’s usually served before the main course at restaurants. It’s an easy way to get in several servings of vegetables in one sitting, bbbbbuuuuttttt the concern is not only what ingredients you put in the salad, but what you put on it. What ingredients are in those jars of creamy goodness that make your salad taste great?

I think you’d be surprised to know that most dressings sound more like a chemical compilation than an edible food. In doing research for this blog, I myself had to revisit the periodic table of elements. I was shocked to see that salad dressing has about 10% food (if that) and 90% chemicals.

Here’s a list of just some of the chemicals that were in the labels of some popular dressings:

Phosphoric acid

-FDA deems it as safe but this chemical can cause damage to the eyes, skin, mouth, & respiratory tract. When consumed it has been linked to diabetes, hypertension, & kidney stones.

Monosodium glutamate

-also known as MSG and it can cause muscle tightness, headaches, numbness, tingling, & weakness.

Disodium phosphate

-FDA says it’s safe unless you have certain health conditions such as heart failure or liver cirrhosis. When consumed in food, it can cause an increase in blood pressure & pulse rate and an upset stomach. It’s used in salad dressing to bind the oil & water and keep them from separating.

Sorbic acid

Disodium iosinate

Calcium disodium

Potassium sorbate

Guanylate

-causes headaches, chest pain, nausea, sweating, and heart palpitations. It was originally derived from animal bones & urine, but it’s now extracted from phosphate rock.

Calcium chloride

Home made dressings may seem like a tedious and inconvenient tasks, but it’s really simple. Most of the recipes just require that you put the ingredients in a blender and blend…simple right . Let me share 2 of my favorite recipes with you guys.

Agave Mustard Dressing

•3 TBSP vinegar

•1/2 tsp salt

•Dash of pepper

•1 cup of oil(I use avocado, but you can use what you like)

•2 TBSP Dijon mustard

•3 TBSP agave

*add all ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth

Vegan Ranch Dressing

•2 tsp fresh dill

•1 tsp onion powder

•1/2 salt

•1/4 ginger powder

•1/2 cup of oil

•1/4 cup of water

•1/4 cup of hemp seeds

•2 TBSP shallots

•2 tsp lime juice

*add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth

Remember, the purpose of this blog is to educate you, not to pass judgement. You may read this and still by store bought dressing, because let’s be honest, it’s convenient . I just want to make you aware of what chemicals that you are putting in your body, even when it’s a “food” that’s been deemed healthy. Be blessed and share if you care.