After you wash and chop your fresh vegetables to prepare a delicious and healthy salad, would you pour a bottle of corn syrup over your dish or sprinkle the greens with sugar? You probably think that this sounds like a disgusting idea. Yet that is exactly what many people do by using prepared salad dressings which contain corn syrup and sugar, often among the first four ingredients listed on the label. We have researched some of the top brands and printed their ingredient lists below to give you an idea of what lurks in some of the popular dressings.
Wish-BoneThe first four ingredients listed on the label for Wish-Bone Deluxe French Dressing are "soybean oil, water, vinegar (cider, distilled), sugar, tomato paste." Wish-Bone's Creamy Caesar dressing has a similar ingredient list: "soybean oil, water, distilled vinegar, egg yolks, sugar, parmesan cheese." The company's Russian dressing contains "corn syrup, water, soybean oil, tomato paste, distilled vinegar, sugar, salt." The list of ingredients for Wish-Bone's Thousand Island dressing begins with "soybean oil, water, sugar, sour pickle relish [cucumbers, vinegar, salt, water, calcium chloride, aluminum sulfate, turmeric (color)], distilled vinegar, tomato paste, salt]."
Newman's OwnNewman's Own is often found on supermarket shelves next to Wish-Bone dressings. Newman's Own Honey French Dressing lists these ingredients: vegetable oil (soybean oil and/or canola oil), water, sugar, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, honey, distilled vinegar, contains 2% or less of: salt, paprika, onion*, spices, garlic*, red bell pepper*, green bell pepper*, beet powder (for color), xanthan gum, vitamin E (alpha- tocopheryl acetate - for freshness) *dried. Their Poppy Seed Dressing label reveals the following ingredients: Vegetable Oil (Soybean Oil And/Or Canola Oil), Water, Sugar, Apple Cider Vinegar, Distilled Vinegar, Onion, Contains 2% Or Less Of: Salt, Poppy Seeds, Mustard Flour, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid.
Brianna'sBrianna's salad dressings also come in a wide range of different flavors. Their True Blue Cheese contains: canola oil, water, sugar, blue cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, powdered cellulose to prevent caking, natamycin to protect flavor), white vinegar, buttermilk powder, salt, apple cider vinegar, natural flavor, maltodextrin and cultured dextrose, lactic acid, citric acid, xanthan gum, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate to preserve freshness, black pepper, tocopherols (natural antioxidant -- vitamin E). Their Zesty French flavor features "canola oil, water, sugar, white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, salt, spices, minced onion, garlic, dried red and green bell pepper, paprika, xanthan gum, natural flavor, tocopherols (natural antioxidant -- vitamin E), citric acid."
Marzetti'sAnother popular brand of salad dressings is Marzetti's. Their Classic Ranch Dressing lists the following ingredients: soybean oil, buttermilk, distilled vinegar, egg yolk, salt, sugar, garlic*, yeast extract, onion*, spices, xanthan gum, natural flavors. Their Thousand Island Dressing contains "soybean oil, sweet relish (cucumbers, sugar, vinegar, salt, xanthan gum, natural flavor), water, sugar, egg yolk, tomato paste, distilled vinegar, salt, onion*, celery seed, natural flavors, xanthan gum, vegetable juices added for color, dehydrated garlic."
Hiddn Health DangersEating a salad should be a way to enjoy the tastes and textures of fresh produce, giving your body a nutritious treat. Dressings can augment the flavor of a healthy salad, but putting corn syrup and sugar in dressings counteracts much of the nutritional benefit of your bowl of greens and other vegetables. Consumption of high levels of sugar can contribute to a variety of health issues ranging from depression to diabetes. A recent study (http://www.naturalnews.com/031971_HFCS_abdom...) linked high fructose corn syrup with higher triglyceride levels, increased insulin resistance and a build-up of abdominal fat. These ingredients become an invisible danger when used in salad dressings, as people are more likely to assume they are eating something healthy and eat without the caution they might exercise in regard to more obvious dietary culprits like snack foods and candy.
What You Can DoRead labels carefully when buying salad dressings at the grocery store. It is also easy and less expensive to learn to make your own dressings at home. When ordering a salad at a restaurant, ask about the ingredients used, or ask for just oil and vinegar.
