Best Salad Dressing for Inflammation
Shared by Dr. Bryan Stephens
While salads are often looked to as a healthy meal, the dressing that goes on them can have many unhealthy aspects to it. First, by drenching the salad in dressing, it can make it a high calorie meal which can add people into a calorie abundance. This means that those eating salads to help lose weight by being in a calorie deficit, are actually eating the hidden calories by having too much dressing. Another problem is the type of dressing and the ingredients that go into them. Seed oils (soybean oil, canola (rapeseed) oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil, grapeseed oil, and rice bran oil) are highly processed which add to their unhealthiness. They undergo many steps when going from seeds to oil including industrial refining, bleaching, and deodorizing, which removes natural antioxidants and promotes more inflammation and poor health.
When looking at salad dressings, I look closely at the ingredients list. I avoid the ones that are heavily dairy, processed, and filled with seed oils to ensure that my salads stay healthy. A healthy alternative I have seen is when avocado oil is used in place of the industrialized seed oils.
“human studies have preliminarily revealed the effects of avocado oil on regulating blood lipids, protecting cardiovascular health, improving diabetes, acting as an antioxidant, protecting organs and systems, and improving obesity”
Lin, Xinyue, and Zongjun Li. “Key components and multiple health functions of avocado oil: A review.” Journal of Functional Foods 122 (2024): 106494.
Ingredients
- Boneless Skinless Chicken 2 cutlets
- Roma Tomato
- Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing (or other non-dairy/seed oil dressing)
- Shredded Kale 3 oz.
- Baby Spinach 2 oz.
- Basil Pesto 1 oz.
- Bacon Pieces 1 oz.
- Shredded Parmesan Cheese 1/2 oz.
- Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning 1/2 tsp.
Prepare the Ingredients
Cook the bacon to desired crispiness.
Core tomato and cut into 1/4″ dice.
Pat chicken dry. Season both sides with rotisserie chicken seasoning and 1/4 tsp. salt.
Place a medium non-stick pan over medium heat and add 1 tsp. olive oil.
Add chicken to hot pan. Cook until browned and chicken reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees, 3-5 minutes per side.
Remove from burner.
In a mixing bowl, combine pesto and dressing.
Add kale and massage until combined and kale is slightly tender, 30-60 seconds.
Add spinach and tomatoes and toss until combined.
Top salad with chicken and garnish with crispy bacon, and cheese.
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