Healthy Eating 101 Best Healthy Foods How to Buy a Healthy Salad Dressing Find our top picks for healthy salad dressings, plus how to choose a healthy dressing at the grocery store and what to look for on the nutrition label. By Julia Westbrook Published on August 13, 2020 Share Tweet Pin Email It's nice to have a homemade salad dressing on hand, but c'mon, life gets busy and the convenience of store-bought salad dressings sometimes wins. But with the right dressing, you can take a plate of greens from dull to delightful. Here's how to pick a healthy salad dressing at the grocery store that doesn't undo the work of those veggies. Pictured Recipe: Spring Pea Salad with Strawberries 1. Forget Fat-Free Salad Dressing The promise that "fat-free" is better for you is really outdated science. Research shows that your body needs some fat to absorb the healthy nutrients in veggies. To make matters worse, low-fat dressings often replace the lost flavor from fat with extra sugar. 4 Foods to Choose Full-Fat 2. Keep an Eye on Sugar It can be really hard to find a salad dressing without sugar. A touch of sweet is sometimes needed to balance the tang, but bottled dressings can have way too much. We found some with over 2 teaspoons (8 grams) of added sugar per 2-tablespoon serving. That's like pouring syrup on your salad. That said, you may want to pass up dressings labeled "sugar-free" if you want to skip artificial sweeteners. 3. Additives to Avoid Dressings can have a long list of additives, ranging from benign thickeners, like xanthan gum, to questionable food dyes and downright unhealthy hydrogenated oils. With a little searching, you can find ones with clean ingredient lists. When in doubt, the cleanest dressings are ususally the ones with the shortest ingredient lists. Dressings We Love Marie's Yogurt RanchDrew's Shiitake GingerMarie's Chunky Blue CheeseTrader Joe's Romano CaesarStonewall Kitchen Olive Oil & BalsamicBragg Vinaigrette Numbers to Look For Serving Size: 2 Tbsp. Amount Per Serving Sodium = 200mg Sugar = 3g Fat > 0g Also Check Out:Healthy Salad RecipesCheap Healthy Lunch Ideas for WorkHow to Pick Healthy Condiments Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Related Articles The 8 Worst Foods to Eat for Inflammation Are Acai Bowls Healthy? Here's What a Dietitian Says 9 Outdated Dieting Trends That Need to Be Retired ASAP, According to Dietitians 7 Must-Eat Fermented Foods for a Healthy Gut The Healthiest Types of Bread, according to a Dietitian 8 Healthy Products to Find at Trader Joe's in February The 5 Best Oat Milks 7 Tips for Clean Eating 10 Healthy Superfoods to Eat Every Day Is Orzo Pasta Healthy? Here's What a Dietitian Has to Say Ezekiel Bread: What Is It and Is It Healthy? 5 Foods to Stock Up On in January, According to a Dietitian 5 Best Protein Shakes and Protein Powders What's Really in Packaged Egg Whites? Clean-Eating Foods List Best Foods to Eat for Gut Health Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies