Cutting Down the Calories from Salad Dressings?

dressing.jpgDear Glenny’s,

I love eating out and I try to eat healthy. But, how can I cut back on the high calorie sauces and salad dressings they serve at restaurants? What can I do so that I don’t consume the extra calories from that stuff?

Thanks.

Samantha

Filed Under Diet Q&A, What's New 

Comments

8 Responses to “Cutting Down the Calories from Salad Dressings?”

  1. dri on June 4th, 2008 5:53 am

    Hi there,

    I too love my salad dressing. Here are a few tips I learned:

  2. Always ask for the sauce and/or dressing on the side. That should moderate your intake.
  3. For dipping sauces, stick with soy sauce, mustard, salsa or ketchup.
  4. Stay away from Alfredo, vodka, and anything creamy.
  5. Bring your own dressing or make it there by mixing up some lemon juice (ask for a few wedges), vinegar (balsamic is good), and/or some salsa.
  • C K on June 5th, 2008 7:03 am

    I always get my dressing on the side. Dip your fork in the dressing then get a forkful of salad. That gives you the flavor without the load of dressing. I have also gone to lemon wedges as dressings, especially in the summer.

  • Stefanie Schmidt on June 5th, 2008 8:55 pm

    I love salad dressing too, but I learned I can save a lot of calories by asking for the dressing on the side. Also if the restaurant doesn’t have a low fat version, the server will usually find out the best dressing to choose. I often put salsa or honey mustard on salads for a low calorie but lots of flavor addition.

  • Lydia Juarez on June 9th, 2008 2:13 pm

    I find that most restaurants are willing to accommodate patrons’ needs for low-cal selections. I have asked wait staff if they could make up a low-cal version for me and most of the time they are happy to do so. One place actually made me a honey-mustard and balsamic version that was very yummy. You could also try thinning out the dressing with a flavored vinegar.

  • Phyllis on July 16th, 2009 12:11 pm

    These are very helpful. I like to keep my home made salad dressing in a container in my frig. I mix fat-free mayo with mustard or ketchup. I spice it to taste and sometimes thin it down with fresh lemon juice. Add herbs, onion or garlic just before serving. I have taken a small container to restaurants instead of using their dressing.

  • Mo on July 16th, 2009 1:37 pm

    I used to bring from home, but seriously 1 tablespoon of real blue cheese or real ranch at 100 calories makes the salad, and doesn’t make you feel deprived. Cutting up your salad while mixing 1/2 at a time really gets it distributed throughout the whole salad. Take it from me I eat salads out at least 3-4 times a week.

  • Shirley Callahan on July 17th, 2009 12:31 am

    Never leave home without it–miniature salad dressing pouches from http://www.minimus.biz Just click on Food, then Fat Free & Lite Dressings. They have a Salad Dressing Sampler where you can try them all at once!

  • Melissa Winter on July 20th, 2009 1:28 pm

    I know this may sound odd, but try to enjoy the taste of the salad and don’t mask it with dressing! Good mixed greens acutally taste good and if you take a bite of your protein source along the a bite of greens it adds a combination of flavors. After a while, you will prefer a sald this way, I promise! The only draw back is when everyone at the table looks at you weird when you say “no dressing, please”!!

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