Sodium in Kraft's Balsamic Vinegrette

143Minnie
143Minnie Posts: 7 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello MFP community of awesome people :)
So I hate salads. But with Kraft's Balsamic vinegrette, they are delicious (I also add a bunch of veggies and a bit of cashews etc) but because of the dressing - my sodium is always ridiculously over (Like today it's 400+mg over)... Does someone out there now of a dressing that tastes similar (I don't like zesty Italian and many other dressings) that isn't high in sodium?

thanks!

Replies

  • Tubbs216
    Tubbs216 Posts: 6,597 Member
    Unless you have a reason to worry about your sodium, I wouldn't sweat it.
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,839 Member
    Make your own dressing. Balsamic vinaigrette is very easy to make. It can be as simple as balsamic vinegar and olive oil alone. You can some Italian herb mix. McCormick's (a common supermarket spice brand) has one that is dried marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage, oregano, and basil. If you want to keep the sodium low, make sure to check the ingredients on any spice mix you use. Some of them have salt as their first ingredient.
  • lindsayh87
    lindsayh87 Posts: 167 Member
    Make your own! You'll find you will probably save a little $$ and calories this way too. Shallots and some good spices are a secret of mine. I also make my own lemon vinaigrette and have done raspberry too! So much better than the store bought stuff.
  • 143Minnie
    143Minnie Posts: 7 Member
    I've tried making my own balsamic vinaigrette but the vinegar and the oil don't mix like they do in the Kraft version... so it just ends up tasting really bad. thanks for you input everyone :)
  • adamitri
    adamitri Posts: 614 Member
    edited March 2015
    I use the wishbone balsamic and it's a lil lower than the craft one. There's also the bolthouse brand with olive oil that's like 150-180 sodium.
  • Topsking2010
    Topsking2010 Posts: 2,245 Member
    Bump
  • jeichelb83
    jeichelb83 Posts: 172 Member
    If you have a Trader Joe's near you they make an awesome fat free Balsamic Vinegarette. It only has 170 mg of sodium per 2 tablespoon serving. I swear by it.
  • haliebest
    haliebest Posts: 17 Member
    I love Maple Farm's brand of balsamic vinaigrette -- http://www.maplegrove.com/products/dressings/fat-free-dressings/balsamic-vinaigrette

    Only 120 mg of sodium. They have a lot of other tasty, healthy salad dressings too.
  • dorkyfaery
    dorkyfaery Posts: 255 Member
    Oil and vinegar need an emulsifier to help them bind together so they don't separate so much. I'm guess Kraft's dressing has something that does that. You can use a small amount of mustard to take on that role. It may still separate while it sits but when you first mix it you will get a better distribution, and you can mix again when you're ready to use it again. More information here: http://www.sciencefriday.com/blogs/08/15/2014/salad-dressing-science-emulsions.html
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,839 Member
    The emulsifier -- or actually a thickener -- in the Kraft balsamic dressing is xanthan gum. Here's a definition:

    xan·than gum
    ˈzanTHən,-ˌTHan/
    nounCHEMISTRY
    a substance produced by bacterial fermentation or synthetically and used in foods as a gelling agent and thickener. It is a polysaccharide composed of glucose, mannose, and glucuronic acid.
  • 143Minnie
    143Minnie Posts: 7 Member
    I don't know why I never found out there were more replies to this thread but better late than ever : THANK YOU to all your replies and ideas! I honestly didn't even realize there were more replies! I unfortunately don't have a trader joes close to where I live - I'm in Canada, not even sure there's some in Canada.

    I had no idea about the emulsifier. That's super interesting and I'm going to try doing my own balsamic vinaigrette :)

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