Functional Fat
Q. I always use fat-free salad dressing to ensure I'm not loading up on extra calories. But I recently heard that full-fat salad dressing is best. How can that be?
A. It may seem counterintuitive, but it's true. Salad dressing with fat is best if you're after the antioxidants in the salad.
That's because some antioxidants, such as carotenoids found in carrots, tomatoes, spinach, and corn, need fat in order to be absorbed by your body. In one study, participants who added full-fat dressing to their salads absorbed more carotenoids than participants who used low-fat, fat-free, or no dressing. But that doesn't mean you should drench your veggies in high-fat, high-calorie dressings.
Instead, make those calories count by pairing fresh salads with a bit of healthy fat. Choose salad dressings with exclusively heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. Ones with a base of olive oil, canola oil, or even avocado are best.
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"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle
