Why is bottled salad dressing bad for you?

You probably know that drenching your salad in dressing is a no-no, but do you know exactly why? And did you know that even "light" and "fat free" dressings are bad?

The calories and fat

Not good for your waistline, bottled salad dressings can instantly turn a healthy salad into a meal that's equivalent to a Big Mac in calories and fat. The serving size of salad dressing is usually 2 tablespoons, which, if you've ever measured it out, doesn't amount to much.

 The oil.

 Usually salad dressings contain soybean or canola oil, both of which are genetically engineered and grown with pesticides (unless you buy organic), which often end up in the food. The oil is the source of fat in the dressing, and although your diet should be around 30% fats, soybean and canola oils are not ideal candidates for being "healthy fats." Olive oil is a much better option, and is rarely found in bottled salad dressings.

High fructose corn syrup.

 You've likely heard that HFCS is basically like poison in your body. When used in moderation, it causes obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, dementia, liver failure, tooth decay, body-wide inflammation, and more. (Click here to read more about HFCS.)

The additives & preservatives.

-MSG: added to processed foods so manufacturers can save money, MSG is a synthetic amino acid that helps intensify the flavor of foods and is also linked to nerve cell damage in the brain, migraines, fibromyalgia, fatigue, muscle tightness, and ADHD.

-Titanium dioxide: a chemical ingredient in paint to make it brighter which is also often contaminated with lead. Sometimes labels will say "titanium dioxide", and sometimes they fall under the vague "colors added" terms. Titanium dioxide is linked to inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease.

-Artificial colors: the most-used ones contain cancer-causing chemicals, can screw with your metabolism, and cause allergic reactions that range from minor to life-threatening.

Of course, not everyone will experience these symptoms; some might not experience any symptoms at all (that we don't know yet). Science has proven links between these dangerous ingredients and our health, but there is still a long way to go in terms of research. We don't yet know the extent of how harmful these things are to us, but what we do know is horrifying. Scientists can't exactly test all of these additives on humans, so we've been playing the "wait and see" game which has proven to be damaging to our health and our waistlines. Your best bet is not to take a chance on any of this stuff and either buy organic, which won't contain any of these dangerous ingredients, or make your own salad dressing!

Healthy, real salad dressing recipes.

There are TONS out there, but I've made quite a few off this list and have never been disappointed. Get creative! Pinterest is also a great resource for salad dressing recipes. 

Sources: BruceBradley.com, Nutritionfacts.org, Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills, NaturalNews.com