diarrhea and fat free salad dressing question

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Hello
I noticed ( it definitely tested this theory) that when i use fat free low cal or 0 cal salad dressing i get diarrhea withing 8 hours. At first i thought maybe i did not wash my lettuce properly but i have been very careful about that using salt water to dump wash all my lettuce then rinse. I stopped using the 0 cal for about 3 weeks and used light salad dressing and had not problem I returned to 0 cal salad dressing and it started again. Is it all in my head? what could be the problem could i be allergic to something?

Replies

  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    i dont have that problem, but i like creamy dressings and most (especially the ranch style ones) of the light or low fat dressings just have a weird taste to me. is it ALL of them that do it or only certain ones?

    italian type ones i can do, but not creamy.

    i like the bolthouse farms yogurt based dressings for that.

    it could be something in it you are sensitive to.
  • comptonelizabeth
    comptonelizabeth Posts: 1,701 Member
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    Is it sweetened with something like sorbitol? As that can cause gut issues for some people if they consume enough of it
  • bv190
    bv190 Posts: 4 Member
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    i have tried 3 different 0 cal and they all upset my stomach i do remember reading one of the did have sorbital. I just googled it as i did not know what it was.

    SORBITOL is a laxative. This medicine is used to relieve constipation. Chemical formula: C₆H₁₄O₆

    well that explains it. Why Why would someone put a laxative in a salad dressing???
  • MichelleSilverleaf
    MichelleSilverleaf Posts: 2,028 Member
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    bv190 wrote: »
    i have tried 3 different 0 cal and they all upset my stomach i do remember reading one of the did have sorbital. I just googled it as i did not know what it was.

    SORBITOL is a laxative. This medicine is used to relieve constipation. Chemical formula: C₆H₁₄O₆

    well that explains it. Why Why would someone put a laxative in a salad dressing???

    It's not a laxative, it's a sugar alcohol that can have a laxative effect. It's found in fruits like prunes, apples, plums, pears, cherries, dates, peaches and apricots. You may just be a little more sensitive to it than others.
  • dulcitonia
    dulcitonia Posts: 278 Member
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    Yes it is the likely the sugar alcohols and sorbitol is marketed for that effect
  • comptonelizabeth
    comptonelizabeth Posts: 1,701 Member
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    bv190 wrote: »
    i have tried 3 different 0 cal and they all upset my stomach i do remember reading one of the did have sorbital. I just googled it as i did not know what it was.

    SORBITOL is a laxative. This medicine is used to relieve constipation. Chemical formula: C₆H₁₄O₆

    well that explains it. Why Why would someone put a laxative in a salad dressing???

    Because (in my experience) things which are low fat or low cal often have stuff like that added, to make it more palatable. Sorbitol has that effect on me, too.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited January 2019
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    bv190 wrote: »
    i have tried 3 different 0 cal and they all upset my stomach i do remember reading one of the did have sorbital. I just googled it as i did not know what it was.

    SORBITOL is a laxative. This medicine is used to relieve constipation. Chemical formula: C₆H₁₄O₆

    well that explains it. Why Why would someone put a laxative in a salad dressing???

    Because (in my experience) things which are low fat or low cal often have stuff like that added, to make it more palatable. Sorbitol has that effect on me, too.

    A lot of people seem to like sweeter dressings too (I don't, no honey mustard or raspberry vinaigrette, etc., for me, and definitely don't make my creamy dressing sweet, blech). So if it's appealing to that taste preference and is a low fat or low cal product, it is likely to use a sugar substitute too.

    My favorite way of making a dressing lower fat is making a vinaigrette and just using less olive oil or subbing a good mustard of some sort for some or all of the oil. Still tastes just as good.
  • ladyreva78
    ladyreva78 Posts: 4,080 Member
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    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    bv190 wrote: »
    i have tried 3 different 0 cal and they all upset my stomach i do remember reading one of the did have sorbital. I just googled it as i did not know what it was.

    SORBITOL is a laxative. This medicine is used to relieve constipation. Chemical formula: C₆H₁₄O₆

    well that explains it. Why Why would someone put a laxative in a salad dressing???

    Because (in my experience) things which are low fat or low cal often have stuff like that added, to make it more palatable. Sorbitol has that effect on me, too.

    A lot of people seem to like sweeter dressings too (I don't, no honey mustard or raspberry vinaigrette, etc., for me, and definitely don't make my creamy dressing sweet, blech). So if it's appealing to that taste preference and is a low fat or low cal product, it is likely to use a sugar substitute too.

    My favorite way of making a dressing lower fat is making a vinaigrette and just using less olive oil or subbing a good mustard of some sort for some or all of the oil. Still tastes just as good.

    If not better :wink:

    I can't stand store bought dressings. I'd rather go through the minimal trouble of making my own.
  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
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    I have a little bit of trouble with low-calorie dressings, too, but it's because I don't like the taste. xD I will usually just choose a vinaigrette-type dressing or watch my portion on a creamy-type dressing.