LOW-SODIUM RANCH DRESSING - Tasty, Healthy Heart Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Is ranch dressing good for your heart? ›

Ranch Dressing

The main ingredients of this popular dressing are typically buttermilk, salt, and sugar. This makes it high in fat, sodium, and calories. None of that's good for your heart.

Add one cup of a really thick, plain Greek yogurt. You'll add a few chopped chives, garlic powder, onion powder, dried dill, salt, pepper, parsley, and juice of half a lemon. Since Greek yogurt is so thick, I like to thin it out with a little bit of water. Now give it a really good shake.

Vinaigrette-style dressings are easy to make by mixing vinegar (such as balsamic, white or red wine vinegars) with oil. Switching from saturated fats to unsaturated fats like vegetable oils (including olive or rapeseed oils) can help lower cholesterol levels when consumed as part of a balanced diet.

Generally speaking, the healthiest salad dressing will be a vinaigrette like balsamic or oil and vinegar, while Caesar, ranch or anything with the word “creamy” will be the unhealthiest. The exception? We like products made with healthy swaps—think Greek yogurt in place of mayo or heavy cream.

Oil and vinegar.

“This is a great option, because it won't have any added sugar or salt,” says Allers. “But the type of oil is important. Opt for olive or avocado oil over an alternative like canola or soybean oil.” These healthy oils are packed with antioxidants, and can even help lower cholesterol.

If you like herbs but steer clear of creamy salad dressings, Italian dressing is the perfect salad dressing for folks who hate ranch. And this Italian dressing from Trader Joe's is a real good one. Sporked contributor Danny Palumbo really freaked for it.

Hummus is a healthy alternative to dips like ranch. Two tablespoons of hummus contain about 67 calories, 2 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat, 4 grams of carbs, and 1.5 grams of fiber.

What is the best salad dressing for high cholesterol? ›

Skip the creamy dressing on your salad.

Thinner, vinegar- and oil-based dressings—such as balsamic vinaigrette—will contain less bad cholesterol than rich, creamy dressings including ranch and blue cheese.

Round out your meal with simply prepared fruits and vegetables, which are naturally low in sodium. Ask for steamed vegetables with no sauce, and use a squeeze of lemon to brighten the flavor. 9. Go easy on the cheese, olives, deli meat, and croutons in your salad, and ask for salad dressings on the side.

Our Simply Jif® is low sodium* with 33% less total sugar** than regular Jif® Creamy Peanut Butter. *17g fat and 3.5g saturated fat per serving. **Simply Jif Peanut Butter contains 2g total sugar per serving and Jif® Creamy Peanut Butter contains 3g total sugar per serving.

Be sure to look for the “low-sodium” variety. Reduced-fat ranch dressing is a better choice containing approximately 336 mg sodium for two tablespoons. Soy sauce: One tablespoon of soy sauce has 1,005mg sodium. When shopping at the grocery store or eating at a restaurant, choose low-sodium or light soy sauce.

Dressings like Thousand Island and ranch are cream-based and may be high in cholesterol. Using avocado is a great way to have a creamy salad dressing without the saturated fats derived from animal products. Vinaigrette-based salad dressings use vinegar and oils.

Vitamins And Minerals

One serving of ranch dressing provides a considerable amount of vitamin K. Canola oil is the primary ingredient in bottled ranch dressings which is a good source of vitamin K. Vitamin K is stored in the body's fat tissues because it is a fat-soluble vitamin.

Ranch dressing contains 320 milligrams of sodium in a two-tablespoon serving. Eating this much sodium on a regular basis could lead to heart health issues like high blood pressure and increased risk of heart disease.