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Stay Healthy
Magazine JAN/FEB 2019
Mind, Body & Fitness
2019
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Kinds Of Exercises
That Boost Your Heart Health
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Signs Your Not Getting Enough Potassium
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FITNESS FOR LIFE By Jaye Kenzie
Working with a dietitian can help you customize your eating based on these factors. But some general guidance is smart for anyone who counts exercise as part of a heart-smart plan.
Your nutrition choices before, during and after activity can help you stay strong and recover better. Here’s a breakdown of What to Eat Before Exercise what your body needs to fuel a hearthealthy workout and recovery, courtesy of “Hydration is really important,” Johnson says. She prefers coconut water or plain a Johns Hopkins nutritionist. water to sports drinks, which contain more calories and sugar. WHAT THE EXPERTS DO Enjoy a Post-Workout Bowl of Oatmeal Several mornings each week you will find dietitian Kathleen Johnson going for a run or attending a yoga class. She drinks water but doesn’t eat beforehand because she starts so early. Afterward, she makes a big bowl of oatmeal with toppings of peanut butter, flax and chia seeds for added omega 3s. For more of an omega boost, swap out the peanut butter for walnuts. Your heart needs exercise — and what you eat before, during and after physical activity can affect your performance and how you feel, says registered dietitian Kathleen Johnson, M.A., R.D., L.D.N. To personalize what you eat around exercise, dietitians consider two main things, she says: 1. How much exercise. Someone doing high-intensity interval training or weight training needs to eat more than, say, a beginning walker.
What to Eat After Exercise After exercising, aim for balance. “Don’t overemphasize protein, fat or carbohydrates while neglecting the others,” Johnson says. Protein is especially important, but she advises eating whole foods (lentils, quinoa, fish, beans) over protein powder. Carbs are key too. They don’t Ideally, you want to plan your meals so they are no more than an hour and a half have to be grains — fruits and vegetables to two hours before your workouts. How- are mostly carbohydrates. Healthy ever, if you need to eat closer to exercise sources of fat include avocado, fish and than that, grab a small snack focusing on a olive oil. complex carbohydrate and protein. Think peanut butter and banana, or yogurt with Examples of well-balanced post-workout Kenzie choicesJaye include olive oil (a healthy fat) granola. drizzled over quinoa (protein) or trail mix “If you work full-time and exercise in the containing nuts like almonds and walnuts, evening, think about lunchtime-onward as seeds such as pumpkin seeds, coconut flakes, and berries. your pre-workout eating time,” Johnson Eat only foods that are familiar to you. “Before a workout isn’t a great time to experiment with a new super smoothie, especially if you’re prone to gas and bloating,” she says.
suggests. That will help you think through nutritious choices, rather than grabbing a quick bite of whatever’s handy.
What to Eat During Exercise Most people don’t need to eat anything while exercising, Johnson says, “unless you’re an endurance athlete doing a mul2. Your fitness goals. Someone who wants to lose weight has to tihour workout.” If you have poor blood sugar control, sipping coconut water can be careful not to take in more calories be useful — you’ll get a little sugar along than he or she is burning. “A 500-calorie smoothie after an hour of weight training with hydration and balanced electrolytes is fine if you’re trying to build muscle, but (necessary substances in your blood and not if you’re trying to lose weight,” John- body fluids that you lose through sweat). son says.
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Time for a bit of trivia: did you know that stevia has been approved as a sweetener in Japan since the 1970's, and is now the number one sweetener there, with a market share of over 40%? And all this without any reports of unwanted side effects! 4. Stevia is Great For Diabetics by Dr. Edward Group DC, NP, DACBN, DCBCN,
Stevia is a natural sweetener, derived from the stevia rebaudiana plant that was first discovered centuries ago in Paraguay by the native population. But it wasn't until the late 19th century that a Swiss botanist working in South America documented the socalled "sweet leaf", and brought it back with him.
it most certainly is a worthwhile investment.
2. Stevia has no calories Refined sugar makes you fat, there's no denying it. Sucrose contains a lot of calories and there are so many sugary products nowadays that it's become almost a fulltime chore to avoid them. As a consequence, 34% of adults in America are obese and for our children – who are being exposed to sugar from a very young age that figure is 17%.
Stevia is available in many forms. The most popular is white extract powder, but you can also buy dried stevia leaves, stevia liquid extract, or as small pellets to sweeten your coffee with. The sweet leaf sweetener is also avail- These alarming rates are three able in its granular form in small times higher than they were thirty packets. years ago. Luckily, the stevia sweetener harbors no calories However, the all-natural stevia whatsoever. While it isn't by any sweetener is different from sugar means a weight loss product, the in many ways, and there are sev- benefits of stevia and its huge poeral reasons why stevia is a bettential in this area are obvious. ter option than sucrose, whether you're diabetic or just looking to 3. Stevia helps to suppress cravadopt a healthier lifestyle. So let's ings go and have a look at them! As we all know, sugar is addictive. STEVIA IS BETTER THAN Artificial sweeteners such R E F I N E D S U G AR as aspartame or sucralose may not have any calories or glycemic 1. Stevia is very, very potent index, but they still promote cravings for sugary sweets. On top of The raw leaves of the stevia plant that, an increasing amount of conare approximately 40 times sweet- sumers over the years has reporter than sugar, and the powdered ed negative side effects when ussweetener derived from them is up ing artificial sweeteners, ranging to 200-300 times sweeter. What from headaches and dizziness to this means, is that just a tiny bit of rashes and stomach pains. Stevia stevia will suffice for most of your on the other hand, has been resugar free recipes. The sweet ported to suppress cravings. leaf's shelf life is about 5 years, so
The reason why sugar is so bad for diabetics, is that it contains large amounts of carbohydrates. In order to illustrate which food types are fit for diabetics and which ones aren't, a system called "the glycemic index"was developed. We will spare you the details of this system, but what it boils down to is that food types with a glycemic index value of less than 50 are considered relatively safe for diabetics; the lower the number, the better. To give you an idea: apples have a GI of 39. French fries have a GI of 95. Tabletop sugar has a GI of 80. Stevia has a GI of 0 (yes, zero). This makes the sweet leaf ideal for keeping your diabetes symptoms at bay without having to compromise any sweetness in your food. 5. Stevia Regulates Hypertension For generations, native tribes in South America have been using stevia to sweeten their matĂŠ, a type of herbal tea. Aside from the sweetness, they have also been using it to lower blood pressure in people suffering from hypertension. Nowadays, South American doctors even officially prescribe medicine containing stevia to help control high blood pressure. Extensive testing has shown that stevia does not lower blood pressure in healthy individuals. 6. Stevia Helps With Candidiasis Candida albicans is a natural type of yeast that's present in every
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human's intestines. But in some people, this yeast population can grow excessively large and that's when an infection called "candidiasis" occurs, causing symptoms like diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. The main culprit with candidiasis is the fermentation of sugar in the intestine, and therefore many candida diets are based on eliminating sucrose from a person’s eating patterns.
though, and be careful to use pure stevia only. Some commercially available brands add inulin or maltodextrin to some of their products: substances which are to be avoided when you're prone to candidiasis.
tions of sugar. You owe it to yourself to give the sweet leaf a try!
†Results may vary. Information and statements made are for education purposes and are not intended to replace the advice of your doctor. Global Healing Cen7. Bottom Line on Stevia ter does not dispense medical adWhen you're used to sugar, stevice, prescribe, or diagnose illvia's taste may take a bit of getting ness. The views and nutritional used to. It contains two sweet advice expressed by Global Healcomponents (called "glycosides"); ing Center are not intended to be Raw stevia cannot be fermented stevioside and rebaudioside A. Try a substitute for conventional mediby candida albicans and does not to find products based on the lat- cal service. If you have a severe promote candidiasis, so it should ter, because stevioside can have medical condition or health conbe perfectly safe to substitute sug- a bitter aftertaste that not everycern, see your physician. ar with stevia for people with this one is fond of. But when you add condition. Always consult your everything up, the benefits of stephysician before altering your diet via vastly outweigh the tempta-
12 resulting in fatigue and general weakness. And this kind of fatigue is not a result of overworking or overexertion, and you may be getting enough sleep but still feel exhausted. 2. High Blood Pressure Potassium plays a significant role in relaxing blood vessels and, therefore, inadequate amount of the mineral can lead to constriction of the vessels. By Dr. Richards M.D. Nevada
7 Signs You Are Not Getting Enough Potassium Potassium is one of the most important minerals in the body, but you probably don’t hear much about it. Unfortunately, it’s often difficult for many people to notice the warning signs of potassium deficiency. To help you with that, we’re giving you some of the top signs that you need more potassium. Continue on to learn more... 1. Always Feeling Tired
This will cause hypertension. So next time you visit your doctor be sure to have your blood pressure checked. 3. Primarily Eats Processed Foods If you’re always consuming processed foods on a daily basis, then you’re likely to suffer potassium deficiency because most of the foods such as frozen meals, crackers, and chips contain a high amount of sodium. You’ll need to reduce the salty foods you eat so that your body can retain more of potassium to keep your blood pressure at a healthy level.
Are you tired constantly? A general feeling 4. Heart Skips A Beat of fatigue is a common sign of low potassiDoes your heart start to pound unexpectum levels in the body. edly, or you feel it keeps skipping beats Since every cell needs an appropriate (palpitations) without a reason you can amount of potassium in order to function easily discover? properly, a deficiency of this mineral can While there are a lot of factors that can affect the cells and other organs— cause this, potassium deficiency contrib-
ute the most. 5. Feel Faint Or Dizzy If the potassium levels drop significantly, it can cause slow heartbeat and, of course, make you feel as if you’re about to pass out. It is important to note that this sign is not common, and so you’re advised to see the doctor as soon as possible should you experience it. 6. Constipation You didn’t expect this, right? Well, low levels of potassium can affect other bodily functions, including slowing down the digestive system. Basically, your body will be struggling to regulate its sodium levels, and this could result in salt-induced bloating as well as abdominal cramping. But keep in mind that, there are lots of things other than low potassium levels that can cause the abnormal puffiness. 7. Tingling and Numbness Potassium is vital for the health of the nerves. Inadequate amount of this mineral can cause the annoying pins and needles sensation. Also, potassium helps with smooth muscle contraction. Therefore, low levels may make you experience aches and spasms.
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2. Frozen Meals
You probably don’t think of breakfast cereal as a salty food, but many of the “healthier” cereals on the market, like corn flakes and toasted-oat cereals, have almost 300 mg of sodium per cup. Again, the problem isn’t the sodium per serving, but the small amount that counts as a serving size.
Packaged lowcalorie frozen meals may seem like the easy way to control portions and watch your weight, but most of them contain way too much salt. Although many brands now offer low-sodium alter- A typical cereal bowl can hold one and a 5 Sneaky High Salt Foods natives, the meals still contain significant half to two cups of cereal, if not more. To If you’ve been in a grocery store lately, amounts. control your salt intake at breakfast time, you’ve probably noticed more and more watch your portion low-sodium foods on shelves, from cheese Some of them contain more than 500 mg size, and try shredper meal, which is one-third of your recto crackers. There’s good reason for the ded-wheat-type ommended daily intake if you are followchange: Consuming salty foods can incereals, which are ing a low-sodium diet. A leftover meal crease your risk for serious health condilow-sodium foods. tions, like high blood pressure, heart dis- made from last night’s healthier homeA one-cup serving ease, and stroke. The obvious fix is to cut made dinner can serve as a low-sodium, of frosted miniasome of the salt from your diet, but sodi- quick-lunch alternative to lower your salt ture-wheat cereal, for example, has only 3 um is sneaky — it can lurk in many seem- intake mg of salt. ingly healthy foods. Here are some of the 3. Salad Dressing 5. Canned Beans worst offenders. You may Some people opt for beans as a way to get 1. Bread feel virtuprotein while controlling their fat and choous opting lesterol intakes, but the canned versions for a salad often have too much salt. One cup of plain over a baked beans has a whopping 1,008 mg of hamburger, sodium, which is half of an adult’s recombut pay attention to the condiments that mended daily salt intake. you add to your greens. One tablespoon of commercially prepared French dressA roasted chicken breast [without the skin] would be an all-around better You probably don’t think of bread as salty ing, for example, has 214 mg of sodium. choice, with less than 100 mg of sodium food, but some types can contain fairly This is not a red-flag amount of sodium high amounts of sodium. A six-and-a-half- per serving, but think of how many people and minimal fat and cholesterol content. If you’re a vegetarian, try cooking dried inch pita, for example, contains more than pour the salad dressing on their salads beans — one cup of boiled navy beans has 300 milligrams of salt. That doesn’t sound directly from the bottle, serving themonly 2 mg of sodium like much, but it can add up when you selves several consider that most adults are advised to tablespoons and keep their salt intake below 2,000 mg of maybe 800 to sodium per day. 1,000 mg of The next time you’re craving a sandwich, sodium. The next time you reach for low-sodium rye bread — the reach for a salreduced-calorie version contains only 93 mg per slice, significantly less than the 170 ad, try using oil and vinegar, which won’t add to your salt intake. mg in the average slice of white bread. Another good choice is whole-grain bread, 4. Cereals which has about 127 mg per slice.
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headsets that offer 6 degrees of freedom (6DOF). This new tech is being touted as the ideal solution for mid-range VR gaming, and the Oculus Quest is showing promise. It’s running demos of Superhot as crisply as on a Vive. HTC is also demoing its Vive Focus, the 6DOF headset that is standalone and meant to compete with the Quest.
We think so. More Mobility Too
Not to be understated is the concept of mobility itself. Mobile VR is a great way to bring the experience with you, but it doesn’t necessarily solve the locomotion challenge. The two biggest companies in VR creating VR feels great when you can move and CES is upon us, and a new dimension is midrange, standalone hardware is a fairly interact with the complex worlds developopen in VR and VR Fitness trends. The big deal. Especially when you consider ers have built. With Cybershoes, you can show is all about establishing the consumthat the Quest is $399 all-in-one. If Oculus, move around in virtual worlds without er electronics trends of tomorrow, showthe company behind the Quest, can get feeling constrained. ing off how we might use our appliances more development pouring into the heador view our world. Players can be seated, walk across treadset then this thing is a steal. Any room So, what has CES taught us about the becomes a potential VR playspace, but the mills or in place to physically move in the virtual world. No hand/wand tricks refuture of VR? Quest and Focus will still require some quired. Just don’t forget to “equip” your floor space to move around. The quick and short version is that the shoes before you set out on your advenplatform is still developing, but there’s a The Quest and Focus are the big names, ture. greater emphasis on user experience. To- but the Atraxa and a host of Chinese comExercise Tech | The Consumer Push morrow’s VR will be smoother, run more panies all offer varying promises of wireefficiently, and integrate with our world in less VR. Atraxa stands out because of its A huge surprise announcement this year is ways that have been hinted at but not yet focus on VR fitness. It comes packaged that Nordictrack is getting into the VR realized. We’re seeing a major push for with applications that take advantage of space. A new exercise bike, which comes the mainstream in the form of all-in-one its wireless movement and focus on physi- with a Vive Focus, features several gamiheadsets and exercise equipment from big cally testing the user. fied workouts a la VirZOOM. The demo at brands. CES had players pedaling a Steampunk Haptics and Feedback bicycle to fly between island worlds and Here are some of the most important imA big development from 2018 back for this huge blimps. pacts coming to the world of VR Fitness. year is the Teslasuit. This year, the focus is on enterprise use cases, but the ambitious The three-minute demo was intense, with some reporting feeling a little more than suit offers some incredible technology fitness enthusiasts will love. Think climate winded when it was over. The bike has a controlled and custom-tailored, with bio- steering yolk, so users can navigate virtual worlds intuitively, and the game design is metrics and motion capture technology. definitely polished based on the demos The suit also employs EMS, or electrical muscle stimulation, to help rehabilitate or NordicTrack wants to sell the bike at $2,000, and they may just be successful. correct form. Much like a chiropractor The brand is well-known, the Vive Focus is employing electrical stimulation on sore $600 standalone, and the user gains acmuscles, the Teslasuit can work specific The Quest and Vive’s Focus cess to an entire library of games outside muscle groups. It can also correct motor of the Nordictrack fitness regiment. The big deal last year was The Vive Pro function in real time, teaching athletes and the promise of wireless, which we did how to run or move with less strain on the Improved VR Experience eventually see towards the end of 2018. In body. We’re already seeing Steam make updates 2019, the big buzz is around all-in-one Is this tomorrow’s gym wear of choice? to its VR platform that better utilize com-
21 der the same, accessible platform and fitness heads will have no shortage of experiences to choose from. Richard Bashara :Richard Bashara is a staff writer for VR Fitness Insider, with a background in tech journalism that compliments his enthusiasm for VR. Richard writes primarily about the underlying technology, applications and experiences driving the VR revolution. puting and graphics processing power for a smoother experience. The Oculus platform also boasts lower specs. A lot of the computer hardware on display at CES seems to suggest improved efficiency. Better, more efficient motherboards and GPU cooling systems offer improved possibilities for overclocking.
portant introduction into the world of VR. Most people first encounter novel VR experiences watching sports or movies in virtual reality, especially on mobile devices. Audi believes that this is a luxury experience, and wants to push VR capability in the backseat of its cars for longer trips.
Final Thoughts | VR Finally Goes MainSo, what do you do with this information? stream Invest in better cooling, and potentially a An improved user experience and more new case design. Those who recently upways to interact with VR all go a long way graded may want to look at investing in a toward broadening the platform. That’s better motherboard and cannibalizing old what CES 2019 most shows me about VR: parts to build a second PC. we’re going mainstream. The Quest is Or do nothing at all. There’s a ton already priced perfectly and the functionality feels being done on the software side that is great. If the library grows, it could be a helping lower-performance machines get killer device for consumers in 2019. a quality VR experience. I love HTC, but the Focus is a bit outpriced Broadcast Technology by the Quest. My hope is that the Focus offers a truly premium experience for the VR needs broadcasting to grow, and accost, but I suspect most consumers will tion cams play an important role in that want the Quest. However, the Focus growth. Wearable action cameras capture could see wider deployment overall when 360 degree video users can watch in VR. paired with offerings like Nordictrack’s With 5G, this might start happening in bike. real time. AR and VR broadcasting technology offers an insider’s view of the play, As VR focuses on wireless, and on physical but it’s also an important coaching tool. experiences that are more immersive, it will attract much more consumer and Consider StriVR, which relies on video media attention. Fitness wise, the coming capture and play review to analyze a playyear looks very promising. The Quest will er’s decision-making capabilities. Using 5G attract a new class of fitness seeker, with technology, coaches can watch a player’s a library of apps ready to introduce them perspective in real-time and relay correcto the wonders of VR fitness. tive advice or strategy during practice. Now we just need all VR games to be unBut broadcasting also serves as an im-
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27 list, you’ll find which options are the healthiest. The Healthiest Store-Bought Salad Dressings Gallery On the other, you’ll find the unhealthiest options.
By Krista Johnson Nutritionist
ther asserts that "light" and "fat free" Choosing salad over a sandwich or burger dressings are often the most common always makes for a healthier lunch, right? places to find high fructose corn syrup Thanks to hefty portion sizes, extravagant which she deems a "diet no-no." toppings, and certain brand name salad Further, low-fat salad dressings prevent dressings that pack up to 200 calories and the body's ability to absorb the carote20 grams of fat per serving, this may not noid antioxidants in salad greens and toalways be the case. We tracked down matoes, thus greatly diminishing a major nutrition information for the leading store health benefit of eating salad. A Purdue -bought brands of ranch, thousand island, University study found that certain Caesar, and Italian/ vinaigrette salad healthy fats -- like those in olive oil -dressings, and ranked them each, leading were necessary to absorb the up to the one that has the most fat and full benefits of the other vegetables in the calories. salad. Further, most people tend to ignore their salad dressing's reported serving size, which is usually only two tablespoons. If the only way you can enjoy a salad is by drenching it in a cup of dressing, then you may not be getting the healthiest lunch you can. While you should remain wary of storebrand salad dressings with high fat and calorie contents, nutritionists remind salad-lovers not to shy away from fat altogether, and warn that low-calorie or lowfat dressings may not always be a healthier option than their full-fat counterparts.
There are so many salad dressings to choose from. Sure, you know what kind you want on your salad. Some days you’re in the mood for a creamy Caesar. Other days you want herbed vinaigrette. But even once you’ve narrowed it down to the type of dressing you’re craving, there are so many brands and types that it can get tough to choose.
Not all brands make their dressings the same — some brands’ products are healthier than others. And when you’re cooking yourself up a nutritious and crisp salad, you don’t want to pour something Nutritionist Keri Glassman cautions that without any nutritional value over the top. Not when you have an equally deliwhat "light" dressings save on calories and fat they often more than make up for cious option that could be better for you! in sodium and sugar. We also ranked It takes some serious poring over numthese same varieties of dressings accord- bers and labels to get to the bottom of ing to which ones had the least fat and which ones are really the healthiest. We calories. While these may appear to be did all that label-roving for you and narhealthy alternatives, the sodium level is rowed it down for each of the 11 most worth paying attention to. Glassman fur- popular types of salad dressing. On one
Since there are so many brands out there, ranging from generic to specialty, we selected the most popularly sold storebought salad dressing brands. These included Annie’s, Ken’s, Kraft, Newman’s Own, Wish-Bone, Hidden Valley, Bolthouse Farms, and Marie’s. From there, we checked the nutrition labels for each type of dressing to find the healthiest and unhealthiest version of each. To judge the healthfulness of each dressing, we checked the calorie count, fat content, sodium content, and added sugar. Find out which brands sell the healthiest salad dressings and which sell the unhealthiest salad dressings for all your favorite flavors. Balsamic Vinaigrette Ken’s Balsamic Vinaigrette This Balsamic Vinaigrette isn’t going to derail your diet — it’s 100 calories per serving with 3 grams of sugar. Not too much of a difference from the other dressings we found, but of the most popular brands, this was the most caloric and contained the most sodium. Blue Cheese: Marie’s Super Blue Cheese Anything called “Super Blue Cheese” is going to be a little extra. But this dressing is a lot extra. In a 2tablespoon serving, there are 160 calories, 17 grams of fat, and 220 milligrams of sodium.
28 Caesar: Wish-Bone Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing
filled to the brim with avocados, fresh herbs, and We surveyed the nutrition facts of over 20 other nutritious varieties of creamy, thick Caesar dressing ingredi— but this one was the heaviest. Wishents, Kraft’s Bone Creamy CaeGreen Goddess Dressing is filled with corn sar Salad Dresssyrup and sour cream. The vitamin and ing has 180 calories mineral profile is bleak; you might want to and 290 milligrams add nutrients from other sources if you of sodium. Each use this brand serving also includes close to 30 percent of your recom- Honey Mustard: Newman’s Own Honey mended daily value of fats, with 18 grams. Dijon Mustard Dressing It’s easy to over-pour, so if you’re watchHoney mustard is ing your dietary fat intake, keep that in usually a lowmind calorie, low-fat option for dressing your salFrench: Ken’s Lite Country French ads. Newman’s Even though this dressing is marketed as Own Honey Dijon “Lite,” it might not be your most nutriMustard Dressing, however, contains 140 tious option. The calories and 13 grams of fat per serving, total fat content is more than any other honey mustard 6 grams, but to dressing we could find. It also has 6 grams make up for the of sugar — some from honey, but some (slight) difference from other added refined sugars as well. in fats, there are Italian: Ken’s Italian 11 grams of sugar per serving! That’s around a third of your recommended daily While many of limit of added sugars. In fact, sugar is the the other Italian very first ingredient on the label. It’s sup- dressings we posed to be dressing, not syrup! found were water-based and Greek: Ken’s Simply Vinaigrette Greek low in caloThis dressing won the unhealthiest rankries, Ken’s Italian dressing contains more ing for Greek vinaigrettes because of its oil than water — meaning it has more sodium content. A calories and more fat per pour. Of serving of Ken’s course, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Simply Vinaigrette But keep in mind, each serving also conGreek has 320 millitains more than a third of your daily value grams of sodium of sodium. and 130 calories. Ranch: Ken’s PepperBut sodium isn’t all bad — salt can actually corn Ranch be really good for you! Now, ranch dressing Green Goddess: Kraft Green Goddess isn’t exactly a light Dressing food. But this verWhile most Green Goddess dressings are
sion was heavier than all the rest, even Hidden Valley’s decadent, diet-unfriendly dressings. A serving contains 180 calories and 20 grams of fat.
Thousand Island: Marie’s Thousand Island Marie’s Thousand Island dressing could become thousand-calorie if you’re not careful. Each serving contains 150 calories and 15 grams of fat. Raspberry Vinaigrette: Ken’s Fat Free Raspberry Pecan This vinaigrette may be fat-free, but it has a whopping 11 grams of sugar! Why even try adding “pecan” to raspberry vinaigrette if you’re going to make it fat-free? The best part about tree nuts like pecans is their healthy fats — though some nuts are healthier than others.
29 Balsamic: Marie’s Balsamic Vinaigrette
overly processed or complicated. Annie’s crafted a full-fat dressing that gets its healthy fats from olive oil, not milk fat — and doesn’t skimp on flavor. While there were some Greek yogurtbased versions of Caesar dressing in the running, Annie’s won out because it’s only 110 calories per serving, and sometimes, full-fat dressing is just healthier.
Some balsamic dressings are super sweet and oily. But with Marie’s classicstyle Balsamic Vinaigrette, you’re pouring only 2 grams of sugar and 45 calories on French: Annie’s Organic French Dressing your salad — without any of the additives that many “light” or “low-fat” versions include!
Blue Cheese: Bolthouse Farms Chunky Blue Cheese Yogurt Dressing
Green Goddess: Bolthouse Farms Avocado Green Goddess Yogurt Dressing Salad dressing made with avocado and Greek yogurt? Can’t get any more nutritious than that. You’ll truly feel like a goddess after eating this creamy, delicious dressing filled with chives, spices, and other bold flavors.
Honey Mustard: Annie’s Lite Honey Mustard Vinaigrette Perhaps one of the most underrated dressings out there, French dressing can be dreamy and creamy. Annie’s is great at keeping creamy dressings simple and nutritious. Every 2 tablespoons of this French dressing has 110 calories, 11 grams of fat, and just nine ingredients.
If you’re going to go for a creamy dressing, you might as well get some proGreek: Kraft Greek Vinaigrette Dressing tein out of it. Luckily, Bolthouse Farms has a Chunky Blue Cheese Yogurt Dressing that’s loaded with it. The product has 2 grams of protein for every 2 tablespoons and just 35 calories. Caesar: Annie’s Organic Caesar Dressing
Kraft’s Greek Vinaigrette Dressing isn’t even a light dressing—those are often filled with sugars and other additives to replace the fats that are removed. This dressing, though, is still just 50 calories Caesar dressing was meant to be decaand 5 grams of fat, with just 1 gram of dent — but that doesn’t mean it has to be sugar per serving.
Annie’s uses less oil and minimal ingredients in their lighter take on honey mustard. With just 40 calories and 3 grams of fat per serving, you’ll want to pour this all over your salad. Italian: Bolthouse Farms Italian Vinaigrette
This smooth, olive oil-based vinaigrette is just 35 calories and 1.5 grams of fat per serving. While other Italian dressings can
30 come loaded with sugars and sodium, this Raspberry Vinaigrette: Bolthouse Farms one is relatively low in both! Organic Raspberry Balsamic Many people choose raspberry vinaigrette because it sounds like a lighter, Ranch: Bolthouse Farms Organic Avocado fruity option. However, what people Ranch don’t realize is that these fruity vinaigrettes often come loaded with added sugars and oil. The Bolthouse Farms version, however, is just 35 calories per serving and keeps the sugars at an impressive 3 grams. While sugar is good for you in many cases, there are some things you need to know about when to check for sugars on the label.
Everyone loves avocados. And if you don’t want to go through all the work of picking a perfectly ripe fruit and using it exactly when it’s ready, you can keep this bottled dressing in your fridge for whenever a craving strikes. The tang of ranch goes with almost any vegetable, and this creamy condiment is way more nutritious than your usual dressing! Thousand Island: Annie’s Organic Thousand Island Dressing
Thousand Island doesn’t have to mean thousand-ingredient. Annie’s keeps it simple with this sweet yet tangy dressing, somehow staying below 100 calories per serving with just 8 grams of fat.
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