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In summer, salads are in the spotlight for meals that are quick to prepare, but also fresh and light. But which dressing do you choose for seasoning? If you usually buy your vinaigrette at the supermarket, it’s not the best choice for your health. Here’s why.
Salads are quick to prepare and can be easily changed every day, simply by varying the ingredients. But what dressing should you choose? The vinaigrette, labeled “light” and sold in supermarkets, is not the ideal choice, according to Dr. Jimmy Mohamed and nutritionist Raphaël Haumont.
Light vinaigrette sauces, real “junk food” according to these experts
The two experts looked at the labels of these products. Industrial vinaigrette sauces called “light” seem to be a good product for health, since they are less fatty and less rich, in general.
But in reality, they are called that because the first ingredient they contain is water.”This is the only way to reduce calories” says Raphaël Haumont. “And since we lose a lot of taste because of this, we add flavorings, additives, preservatives…”.
An expensive and unhealthy product
So half of the bottle of salad dressing is water. And since salad dressings contain oil and the two don’t mix naturally, you have to “tips to overcome this” continue the two specialists.
The addition of xanthan gum and other preservatives will give the sauce its texture. In the end, the preparation will have about ten ingredients, “which makes it become a ultra-processed product” they add.
NO to diets, YES to WW!
Choose your own homemade recipe!
What can you replace these industrial sauces with? If you are used to buying them, Dr. Jimmy Mohamed advises you to stop, on the one hand because it is expensive for a product that contains water, for half and especially because these sauces are, as you have understood, bad for your health.
Instead, he recommends a simple mixture of oil and vinegar. Raphaël Haumont specifies that one can limit the amount of oil to a tablespoon while emphasizing that a good olive oil, for example, is recommended for health.
And Jimmy Mohamed also reminds us that vinegar is “good for health and it is also a natural fat burner, because it activates an enzyme that will burn fat”. Here is a very simple vinaigrette recipe, much healthier and which also saves you money!
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