How to Dress a Salad the Healthy Way

If you're trying to eat more healthily, salads can be a great way to go—but beware. Hundreds of empty calories may lurk in the dressing. Use the following tips to dress your salad the healthy way and still enjoy all the flavor and nutritional value your raw veggies can offer.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Request your dressing on the side when ordering out. Dip your fork or each individual bite of salad lightly into the dressing. This method packs in a punch of flavor with every bite, and you may find over half the dressing left in the bowl.

2. Coat your salad lightly with dressing just prior to serving. Don't drown your vegetables.

3. Create your own dressings. Lemon juice, olive oil and vinegar are classic salad dressing ingredients, but anything is possible. Try them with different combinations of Dijon mustard, fresh garlic or ginger, soy sauce, honey, fruit purees or salsa. For a creamy dressing, use low-fat yogurt instead of sour cream.

4. Add a little salt and pepper to homemade dressings to brighten the flavor. Fresh herbs also make a great addition.

5. Use a ratio of 1 part acid (lemon juice, vinegar) to 3 parts oil when mixing salad dressings. If mixing in a blender or with a whisk, combine all ingredients and stream the oil in last. If combining dressing ingredients directly on your salad, add the acid before adding the oil to allow the flavor to soak into the leaves a bit.

Tips & Warnings

• Try different kinds of vinegar in your dressing mix. Balsamic, tarragon, champagne and red wine vinegars are all delicious options.

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