Dressed for Success!

Do you believe that salads heaping with vegetables and paired with a no-fat or low-fat dressing are the key to shedding weight? While vegetables are certainly a great source of nutrients and help limit intake of unhealthy fats, you might want to rethink how you dress them.

Research from Purdue University suggests there may be benefits to swapping non-fat or low-calorie dressing for something more substantial.

It appears the higher fat content of richer dressings can actually unlock a vegetable’s nutritional potential, as it’s digested. While dieters are encouraged to select fat-free salad dressings, traditional dressings can influence the bioavailability of nutrients.

In a recent study, subjects were fed salads based on three types of dressing—saturated fat (butter), polyunsaturated fat (vegetable oil) and monosaturated fat (canola oil).

Researchers then measured the test subjects’ blood for carotenoid absorption (Carotenoids have been proven to help reduce the risk of heart disease and other chronic illnesses). So, the more carotenoids found, the better. The test subjects who had eaten the canola oil-based dressing had the most carotenoids in their bloodstream.

Additionally, the subjects who consumed butter or vegetable oil-based dressings needed more dressing to achieve the same benefits—implying there is a correlation between the type of dressing you use.

As revealing as this finding may be, it’s yet another example of how the human body naturally seeks out flavor to help us achieve nutritious meals naturally.