Most people see green salads as something that helps with weight loss — and why not? There are just around 17 calories in a 3.5-ounce serving of salad greens. The problem isn’t the greens. It’s what people put on top of them.
Salad dressings can increase the calorie count of a salad eightfold or more. Here’s what’s in just two tablespoons of common dressings:
- Thousand Island dressing: 114 calories
- Ranch dressing: 129 calories
- Olive oil vinaigrette: 144 calories
- French dressing: 146 calories
And many people use more than two tablespoons on a single salad. Done consistently over time, this can meaningfully contribute to weight gain — turning what feels like a “diet food” into a hidden source of excess calories.
A Better Choice
Two of my own dressings — Low-Fat Thousand Island Dressing and Dijon Vinaigrette — both come in under 20 calories per serving, giving you all the flavor without the calorie load. Both recipes are included in my free eBook, Health Secrets.
Download it at peacediet.org for these recipes and more tips on natural health.
About Dr. Terry Shintani, MD, JD, MPH
Dr. Terry Shintani is a Harvard-trained physician and nutritionist, named a Living Treasure of Hawai’i and recipient of the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Award for Excellence. He is the creator of the Peace Diet and the landmark Waianae Diet — published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and cited over 137 times — and the author of 16 books on natural health and nutrition, drawing on more than 35 years of clinical practice in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Learn more about Dr. Shintani’s work and recognition: NLM Native Voices
Sources:
- USDA FoodData Central — Salad Dressing Nutritional Values
- NIH/PubMed — Caloric Density of Condiments and Weight Management
- Harvard Health — Healthy Salad Building