Salad dressings

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readytobeatfat54
readytobeatfat54 Posts: 91 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi all. I'm doing CICO and have had some success. I'd like to start eating more salads but the dressing can be a diet killer. Any good low cal or fat free (generally much less calorie dense) dressings out there that people recommend?
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  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Just some ideas, I tend to prefer vinaigrette-style to creamy, so this is biased that way:

    I make vinaigrettes but use much less olive oil than in a normal recipe. It works fine.

    For very low cal, red wine vinegar plus a good mustard works well.

    A good quality balsamic works well on its own (I have a meyer lemon one I like a lot, especially).

    For an Asian-style salad and if you like spicy a mix of sriracha, lime juice, and soy sauce is good.

    I'd used salsas or a tamatillo sauce, especially with a salad involving protein.

    Note: having some fat with the vegetables is important, so I always have fat on a salad no matter what dressing I use -- I add protein (which has some fat too), goat or feta cheese, nuts or seeds, avocado, or olives, depending on the salad.
  • readytobeatfat54
    readytobeatfat54 Posts: 91 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I'd used salsas or a tamatillo sauce, especially with a salad involving protein.

    Note: having some fat with the vegetables is important, so I always have fat on a salad no matter what dressing I use -- I add protein (which has some fat too), goat or feta cheese, nuts or seeds, avocado, or olives, depending on the salad.

    Do you mix the salsa with something? Or just eat it served over the salad?

    Got the fat covered. However, with the amount of calories in dressing, I could eat half a chicken! :)
  • ggeise14
    ggeise14 Posts: 386 Member
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    Love that Olive has some great tasting Balsamic vinegars that I use on my salads (no oil) and Panera has a Low Cal Poppyseed dressing that I also like. But truthfully, ever since I started using Balsamic vinegars from Love that Olive they are my go to!
  • readytobeatfat54
    readytobeatfat54 Posts: 91 Member
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    What is Love that Olive?
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,070 Member
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    Olive Garden sells a fantastic light Italian in the grocery store now. It's only 40cal for 2 Tbsp. I also make my own Italian or Ranch using the seasoning packets. I make a creamy Italian with Fage 0% Greek Yogurt, seasoning packet and vinegar. I make Ranch with Fage 0% Greek Yogurt, a little skim milk and seasoning packet.
  • 257_Lag
    257_Lag Posts: 1,249 Member
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    Bolthouse Farms has a bunch of awesome flavors in the 30-50 cal range (2 Tblsp) Cooler section near the produce usually.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    readytobeatfat54 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I'd used salsas or a tamatillo sauce, especially with a salad involving protein.

    Note: having some fat with the vegetables is important, so I always have fat on a salad no matter what dressing I use -- I add protein (which has some fat too), goat or feta cheese, nuts or seeds, avocado, or olives, depending on the salad.

    Do you mix the salsa with something? Or just eat it served over the salad?

    Got the fat covered. However, with the amount of calories in dressing, I could eat half a chicken! :)

    How I do it is put chopped up steak or chicken on the salad, put the salad on the meat, mainly, and then mix it all around or shake it.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    I like Newman's Own light Italian and light balsamic vinaigrette. Some of the Bolthouse Farms stuff is alright if you're wanting a creamy dressing.
  • busyPK
    busyPK Posts: 3,788 Member
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    I love, love, LOVE Ken's Steakhouse Lite Northern Italian dressing. I have 3 young kids and they all love it as well. Only 45 calories for 2T and very flavorful.

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  • ZephieC
    ZephieC Posts: 162 Member
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    Kraft Berry Balsamic...it is like crack to me. I could eat it all day long
  • spingirl605
    spingirl605 Posts: 181 Member
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    I like using lemon juice, a touch of olive oil and salt on my salads. At a restaurant I will ask for oil and vinegar and some lemon wedges. Farm Boy (I'm in Canada) has a delicious lemon garlic dressing that I absolutely love. I am currently eating (as I type) an avocado tuna salad with Kale, and used fresh squeezed lemon juice, olive oil and salt. It's delicious!!
  • willstrip4food
    willstrip4food Posts: 9 Member
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    I second Bolthouse farms. Low cal but tasty! I've also been using walden farms dressing. It's zero calories (prob trace calories) and they have a bunch of different flavors. They even make ketchup, syrup and a few other products. My favorite is the raspberry vinegarette.
  • KeithWhiteJr
    KeithWhiteJr Posts: 233 Member
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    They do make a couple "calorie free" dressings that claim to be 0 calories. I use 3 Zeros dressing and its pretty good.

    I also like Salsa or "chicken wing" Hot Sauce on my salads, depending on my mood.
  • stang0423
    stang0423 Posts: 2 Member
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    Walden Farms - no calories, fat, carbs, sugar, or gluten. The few varieties ive tried have been great tasting for it being what it is. Reasonably priced, though hard to find in stores. Wegmans and Weis are the only places ive found to carry it with a very limited selection. You can order online, and they make so much more than just salad dressings - syrup, creamer, mayos, fruit and veggie dip.

    Im a condiment fiend and I havent found a brand more macro-friendly than this.
  • thewindandthework
    thewindandthework Posts: 531 Member
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    Usually I just use vinegar and spices and herbs.

    If I want something a little richer, I make a modified vinaigrette. Instead of the traditional way, I use equal parts oil, acid, and emulsifier. A common version is equal parts red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and French-style Dijon, with whatever spices or herbs would pair well with the salad ingredients.
  • missomgitsica
    missomgitsica Posts: 496 Member
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    The Wishbone brand line of E.V.O.O. dressings are all really tasty and pretty low cal, most of them are 70 calories for 2 TBS of dressing. I use them for chicken marinades as well.
  • lbrown4325
    lbrown4325 Posts: 2 Member
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    If you like creamy dressing you can also you a yogurt based dressing. I use OPA and there is another one I will have to get the name of and I love both of these. You can normally find them in the produce area of the grocery store.
  • thewindandthework
    thewindandthework Posts: 531 Member
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    Trufax, I have on occasion mixed up a creamy dressing using nonfat greek yogurt, but in my opinion those need to rest in the refrigerator for a day before they're much good, and I'm not really a plan ahead sort of person when it comes to food.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I do red wine and mustard. Don't need oil, can't taste it anyway!
  • gamerbabe14
    gamerbabe14 Posts: 876 Member
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    I usually just use lime or lemon juice as a dressing. I eat salads with fish, avocado and some fruit so I don't really need the dressing.

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