Is your salad dressing healthy for you?

Today, we’re talking about salad dressing.

Salad dressing make things taste good. They help keep our hair shiny, and our joints working properly. But exactly how healthy are oils?

Well, it turns out that actually depends on the way oils are prepared and stored. Today, we’ll be looking at salad oils, and what things to look out for in your salad dressing.

The Dangers of Salad Oils

I have good news and bad news for you.

The good news is… on one hand, salads are delicious. They’re crunchy, nutrient dense, and a nice way to cool off in the hot weather.

So what’s the bad news?

You know that delicious salad dressing you’re purchasing? It’s probably not the best for you.

Trans-Fats During the Refining Process

One reason to be wary of salad oils is that salad dressings are usually heated to a higher temperature during the refining process. When this happens, monounsaturated fats can be converted into their dangerous cousins- trans-fats.

Trans-fats are play a role in raising your LDL cholesterol and lowering your HDL cholesterol. This means when trans-fats are consumed that artery clogging LDL’s go up, and the HDL which helps protect our bodies goes down.

But why are trans-fats made during the refining process?

Well, a monounsaturated fat has a flexible hydrogen bond that causes the molecule to bend. When the salad oils are heated together to allow mixing and killing off of bacteria- this causes that chemical bond to break. This results in the double bond being broken, and the hydrogens can sometimes end up on opposites sides like showing in the video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brs2nMubr84

This seemingly tiny change results in massive consequences for us since trans-fats increased the risk of having a heart attack among other factors.

It’s a good lesson in how even small parts of the refining process can lead to major changes in our foods.

And here’s a piece of bad news. While the USA is currently labeling trans-fatty acids, other developed countries like Japan have no laws in place to warn us when trans-fats might be present.

Added Chemicals

We recommend you also check your salad dressing for the following chemicals:

• activated clay for decolorization
• lactic acid for deodorization
• phosphate for flavoring
• phytic acid for flavoring
• sulfuric acid for preservative
• hydrocholoric acid for preservative
• oxalic acid for preservative
• caustic soda preservative.

These chemicals are added to enhance flavor and taste of the salad dressing.
However, the dressings can be made without these using whole foods instead. As a result, we prefer to see actual foods such as lemon juice or vinegar in our ingredient list.

BHA and BHT in Salad Dressing

BHA and BHT research has not been conclusive for the most part.

These chemicals are added to foods to prevent them from going bad.

During the refining process, the antioxidants are basically stripped from the oils. This means that the oils will go bad faster. So, BHA and BHT are added to help stabilize the oils leading to a longer shelf-life.

However, there has been some evidence to suggest that they might actually be carcinogenic in low concentrations such as in your foods.

Because it’s unclear, we prefer more natural preservatives such as salt, oregano extra, grapefruit seed extract, citric acid, and more being used in our salad dressing.


Propylene Glycol

Propylene Glycol is in anti-freeze. So why is it also in my salad dressing?

Propylene glycol has made headlines because the preservative is found in so many products from cosmetics, shampoos, and food.

In large doses, it seems to be carcinogenic; but, it also seems to be harmless in small amounts.

Therefore, we recommend being careful how many of your daily products use this preservative.

As a note, we understand that sometimes chemicals are added for preservation purposes. This includes things like propylene glycol which has been deemed safe to use in small amounts.

While we would prefer to see people use dressings with little preservatives, this does operate from a position of privilege. And as such, things like propylene glycol which allows for a long preservation time might be useful for families in low income households.

However if you can afford to, we would encourage you not to consume excessive amounts of propylene glycol since there has been some research to suggest that it is potentially a carcinogen.

But… so is bacon.

So, I guess it really all does come down to balancing things.

Wrap Up

I guess what we’re trying to say is that you should be making your own salad dressing at home if possible.

However if having to make your own salad dressing is the only thing standing between you and eating a salad…well… it’s okay in moderation.

If you know of any good brands to try out, leave the suggestions below!