“A salad without the dressing is not a salad”, someone famous once said. Or should have said. A good dressing helps accentuate flavors, helps some of those greens go down easier, and as you’ll see in a minute improves the nutritional value of the salad.

If we’re to judge by the hundreds of varieties of dressings available at the supermarket, most shoppers agree. Salad dressings historically include some form of fat, such as olive oil or canola oil as a base. Even a mayonnaise base is actually a form of oil (mixed with raw eggs). In the past few years, many dressings have been re-formulated as fat-free, a means to tempt weight conscious consumers to continue buying them.

What you need to know:

A fat-free salad dressing is actually a bad nutritional decision. You see, a little bit of fat goes a long way in helping the body absorb the nutritional goodness of the salad. This is because some vitamins are fat-soluble. Vitamins A, D, E, and K (ADEK) are absorbed in the intestinal tract with the help of fat molecules. Which means that having a fat free salad dressing will actually decrease the nutrition effectiveness of your salad.

Good sources of vitamin A include carrots, broccoli, kale, and spinach. Vitamin E can be found in asparagus, avocado, eggs, nuts and seeds, and spinach. Vitamin K is present in parsley, cabbage, swiss chard, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts.

So what’s a non-fat dressing made from?

Mostly water. that’s right, you’re paying for water. Additionally, in order to maintain the semblance of an oil based dressing, emulsifiers and thickeners are added. Just look for example at the ingredient list for Kraft’s Fat-Free Italian Dressing:

Ingredients: WATER, VINEGAR, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CORN SYRUP, SALT, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OFPARMESAN CHEESE* (PART-SKIM MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES), GARLIC, ONION JUICE, WHEY, PHOSPHORIC ACID, XANTHAN GUM, POTASSIUM SORBATE AND CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA AS PRESERVATIVES, YEAST EXTRACT, SPICE, RED BELL PEPPERS*, LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE, GARLIC*, BUTTERMILK*, CARAMEL COLOR, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, ENZYMES, OLEORESIN PAPRIKA. *DRIED.

That’s quite a lengthy list for what should be a simple dressing. Some highlights:
High fructose corn syrup and corn syrup are the 3rd and 4th ingredients, used to round off the flavor of the highly acidic vinegar.

Phosphoric acid is used to add more acidic flavor, but why not add more lemon instead? (answer: it’s cheaper).

Calcium Disodium EDTA is a preservative with a mildly salty taste. It may cause kidney damage, and blood in urine. It’s on the FDA’s priority list for more health effects research.

Folks – this is ridiculous. Nobody in Italy dresses their salad like this. Nor should you. The 20 calories per serving of 2 tablespoon are to be commended, but a 50 or even 100 calorie dressing based on real ingredients such as olive oil, lemon juice and spices will probably serve you better both gastronomically and nutritionally.

What to do at the supermarket:

Here’s a great idea for you. Buy a bottle of good extra virgin olive oil. Also a few lemons.

At home, make your own dressing as follows: in a mixing bowl add equal parts olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour over salad and toss just before serving. Forty five seconds tops.

If you’re more courageous, you can try adding any combination of a teaspoon of dijon mustard, a minced clove of garlic, and balsamic vinegar. Sometimes a teaspoon of honey or sugar can help take the acidic bite off, especially if the salad contains strong tasting greens such as arugula.

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We wrote about the huge US salad dressing industry in a previous post. Today we’ll look inside the label of one of the most popular – Hidden Valley The Original Ranch.

This dressing comes with some history. In the late 50’s, Steve and Gayle Henson would host guests at their dude ranch in southern California. They concocted a special salad dressing that was served to the guests, and the rest is history. Hidden Valley is now a ranch dressing empire. it is owned by Clorox (!?) of cleaning detergent fame.

Let’s take a peek inside the dressing, shall we?

Read more…

The word salad conjures, for most people, mounds of iceberg lettuce, a few other veggies, and a hefty ladle of dressing. As with many things, the US did not invent it, but in the last 50 years we have elevated salad dressing to a billion dollar industry with hundreds of varieties awaiting us in a special condiments aisle in the supermarket. You know something is big when it has its own trade organization.

In southern Europe and the Mediterranean, a salad is dressed by mixing some fresh lemon juice, a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, and drizzling on top of a freshly cut salad. It seems that here, though, folks cannot complete that basic task and therefore gladly pay $3.00-$4.00 for a bottled solution. The price paid isn’t just monetary, as there are ingredients in some commercial dressings that are better kept away from our bodies.

Read more…

A recent study conduced by Italian researchers found that two commonly used food additives have the ability to alter human hormones. From The Daily Green:

More than 3,000 preservatives, flavorings, colors and other ingredients are added to food in the United States, and none of them are required to undergo testing for estrogenic activity, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

The two suspect additives are:

1. propyl gallate – used to prevent fats and oils from spoiling.  Used in baked goods, shortening, dried meats, candy, fresh pork sausage, mayonnaise and dried milk.

2. 4-hexyl resorcinol – prevents shellfish such as shrimp and lobsters from discoloring.

What you need to know:

Food additives are part of food, and always have been. Sugar, salt, and vinegar are probably the oldest known kinds of additives, used as preservatives. Other additives are used to preserve or enhance coloring, improve a food’s texture or viscosity, and to add vitamins and minerals.

As food engineering advances, so do the chemical compounds that make up the various additives. Unfortunately, not all effects of a certain chemical are immediately apparent. It may take decades to understand that a certain compound is responsible for averse health conditions.

Additives won’t be going away any time soon. The B2B market for additives is projected to grow to $33 Billion in a few years!

What to do at the supermarket:

By law, a product’s ingredient list must show the additives used. If you see a long list with unknown terms, you can be sure that some are additives. The best way to avoid them is to buy minimally or non processed foods, usually found in the outer perimeter of the supermarket. These basic products require you to cook, bake, or otherwise prepare them. It will take you more time and effort than popping a TV dinner in the microwave, but you’ll enjoy a healthier and tastier meal.

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We have recently covered two of the three “condiment triumvirate” – Ketchup and Mustard.

Today, a look at mayo.

1. The three building blocks of mayonnaise are raw egg yolks, vegetable oil, and vinegar. Seasoning, mustard, and lemon juice may be added for flavor.

2. The source of the word “mayonnaise” is unknown, but one guess is that it is derived from moyeu, Old French for egg yolk.

3. Mayonnaise is made by slowly adding oil to an egg yolk, while whisking vigorously to disperse the oil. The resulting emulsion is what we spread on sandwiches and burgers.

4. Mayonnaise is mostly fat. a serving of one tablespoon (13 grams) contains 90 calories! No wonder “Hold the mayo” has become such a popular expression by weight watchers at fast food joints.

5. homemade mayonnaise will spoil after 3-4 days.

6. Contrary to popular belief , industrial mayo does not spoil if not refrigerated. Commercial mayonnaise is filled with acid and preservatives that can actually extend the life of salads by killing bacteria. The eggs used in prepared mayonnaise are pasteurized as well.

7. Hellmann’s (known as Best Foods west of the Rockies) is the leading US mayonnaise brand. It became part of multinational food conglomerate Unilever a few years ago. According to Unilever, it has over 50% market share.

8. Tartar sauce is mayonnaise spiced with pickled cucumbers and onion.

9. Thousand Island dressing is ketchup, pickle relish, assorted herbs and spices mixed into a mayonnaise base.

10. Ranch dressing is made of buttermilk, mayonnaise, and minced green onion.

11. In the Netherlands, mayonnaise, not ketchup, is the condiment of choice for french fries.

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1. Mustard is made from the ground seeds of a mustard plant, water, vinegar, and optionally some flavorings and spices.

2. The Romans mixed unfermented grape juice, known as must, with ground mustard seeds (called sinapis) to make “burning must”, mustum ardens. That’s the source of the name “must ard”.

3. Cooking food with mustard dramatically decreases the condiment’s pungency.

4. Yellow mustard (a.k.a. regular mustard) is the most commonly used mustard in the US. The rest of the world calls it American mustard. It is a very mild mustard colored bright yellow due to the use of turmeric. It was introduced over 100 years ago in 1904 by George T. French who bet that Americans would prefer milder tasting mustard than what was available at the time.

5. Dijon mustard uses white wine in addition to vinegar. Although Dijon mustard originated in Dijon, France, there is no limitation on the use of “Dijon” for mustard manufactured in the US as well.

6. Honey mustard is simply a blend of mustard and honey, used as a sandwich topping, dip, marinade, or in salad dressings.

7. The Mustard Museum of Mount Horeb, Wisconsin features a collection of over 5,000 jars of mustard from all 50 states and 60 countries. National Mustard Day is celebrated annually at the Mount Horeb Mustard Museum on the first Saturday in August.

8. Per capita consumption of mustard in the US is about 12 oz. annually.

9. Mustard sales are $300 million annually. French’s is the top brand with a third of the market. Private labels are second with around 20%. Kraft’s Grey Poupon has 15% for third place.

10. French’s website aggressively encourages people to opt for mustard as the condiment of choice because mayonaisse is full of fat, and ketchup is full of sugar.

11. Grey Poupon became a popular mustard in the late 1970s and 1980s as American tastes broadened from the conventional American yellow mustards.

12. The ingredients of French’s Yellow Mustard, Classic -
Distilled Vinegar, Water, No. 1 Grade Mustard Seed, Salt, Contains Less than 2% of Turmeric, Paprika, Spice, Natural Flavor, Garlic Power.
We wonder what “Spice” and “Natural Flavors” are.

13. Nutrition-wise, a serving of mustard (1 teaspoon) has less than 20 calories, no sugar, no fat, and only 55mg of sodium.

14. Mustard may cause allergic reactions in some people. Since November 2005, products in the European Union must be labeled as such if they contain mustard.

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flickr photo : PinkMoose

“No additives or preservatives” sounds like a promising claim on a food label. But you’ll be hard pressed to find products in the supermarket that don’t contain at least one food additive. Even organic products use them, and unless you bake your own bread, avoid all processed snacks, and drink nothing but water, you won’t be able to avoid them.

Food additives are natural and artificial substances added to food in order to improve and preserve its flavor and appearance.

Some additives, such as salt used to cure meats, have been around for millennia. In the 20th century, advances in chemical and food engineering brought endless innovations in additives, resulting in the products currently lining supermarket shelves all around the globe.

Below the fold is a rough categorization of additive types. Some additives belong to more than one category. For example, sugar is both a preservative and a sweetener. All additives are safe for consumption, according to the FDA. Consumer groups, though, are concerned about the effects of some artificial additives on human health. Read more…