The Dirty Truth About Salad Dressing (and 5 Easy Fixes)

Is Your Salad Dressing Sabotaging Your Health?

A bright, colorful salad might look like the perfect healthy meal.

But if you're drizzling your salad with the wrong dressing, you might be unknowingly turning that nutritious meal into a chemical cocktail.

Salads are supposed to nourish us – rich in fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, and healthy fats. But many dressings are loaded with additives that can undermine those benefits.

Let’s take a closer look at what’s really inside that innocent-looking bottle of store-bought dressing (and I’ll give you ideas for alternatives).

What you'll find in this article:

• Problems with store-bought salad dressings

• How to have healthy salad dressings

• Healthy salad dressing recipes

1. The White Lie: Titanium Dioxide

One of the most concerning ingredients found in many commercial salad dressings is titanium dioxide – a chemical also used in sunscreen, paint, and plastics.

It's added to foods to enhance whiteness and opacity, particularly in low-fat and creamy dressings.

But here’s the problem: Titanium dioxide is classified as a possible human carcinogen (Group 2B) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Research links it to DNA damage, inflammation in the gut, and even cancer.¹

France and Europe have banned it in food, citing serious safety concerns.² Yet, in the U.S., it remains in circulation — hidden in many processed foods, including salad dressings, coffee creamers, cheese, icing, and candy, like Skittles and Starbursts.

RFK Jr. is also attempting to ban it at the federal level in the U.S. If that becomes law, food manufacturers will be given a few years to make the change.³

2. Artificial Colors with Real Consequences

Synthetic dyes, like Red 40 and Yellow 5, commonly found in flavored or vibrantly colored dressings, are linked to behavioral issues in children, including hyperactivity and attention problems.⁴

These dyes are not only unnecessary but also potentially harmful.

3. Sugar, Sweeteners, and Metabolic Mayhem

Many store-bought salad dressings contain high-fructose corn syrup, the very worst of all the refined sugars, linked to diabetes, tooth decay, and obesity, among dozens of other health risks.

Think you’re making a smart choice with “sugar-free” dressings? Think again.

Many commercial dressings pack 8 grams of added sugar per serving (that’s just 2 tablespoons), and if they’re “sugar-free,” they likely contain artificial sweeteners like sucralose, which are linked to:⁵

• Increased appetite and weight gain
• Imbalanced gut bacteria
• Higher risk of stroke and heart disease
• Poorly regulated blood sugar

Even worse, most people use more than the recommended serving size, compounding the effects.

[Related: 19 Sugar Substitutes: The Good, Bad, And The Ugly to Help You Choose the Right Sugar Alternative for You]

4. Preservatives and Flavor Enhancers

To increase shelf life and flavor intensity, many brands rely on a laundry list of chemical preservatives and additives like:

• Sodium benzoate – linked to hormone disruption and increased cancer risk

• Disodium inosinate & guanylate – potential triggers for migraines and sensitivities

• Monosodium glutamate (MSG) – makes you crave more of the foods it is in and has been linked to the obesity epidemic. It is a neurotoxin associated with brain damage, central nervous system damage, and more

• Phosphoric acid (to maintain freshness) – linked to lower bone density over time

• Xanthan gum (a thickener and to maintain texture) – linked to headaches, nausea, bloating

The bottom line: these additives can hijack your health under the guise of convenience and flavor.

[Related: MSG: Is It Hiding In Your Food And Making You Sick?]

5. Too Much Sodium

Salad dressing is often one of the most significant hidden sources of sodium in the American diet. A single serving can contain up to 300 mg or more – and most of us pour on far more than that.

Excess sodium intake contributes to high blood pressure, heart disease, and water retention. Your salad shouldn’t leave you feeling bloated.

[Related: 5 Green Smoothies For High Blood Pressure Control]

1. Read Labels Carefully:

Choose dressings with short, recognizable ingredient lists and avoid those that list artificial colors, sweeteners, or preservatives.

2. Choose Organic:

Organic dressings are held to higher standards.

They don’t allow titanium dioxide, Red 40, or Yellow 5, and tend to have less added sugar, sodium, and unhealthy fats.

3. Make Your Own Dressing:

Homemade salad dressings are simple, healthy, and endlessly customizable.

All you need is:

• Oil: Organic, 100% Extra virgin olive – impure olive oils can contain a mix of lower-quality vegetable oils, which are often rancid, and won’t deliver the same benefits

• Acid: Vinegar, like apple cider vinegar (ACV), or lemon juice (adds flavor and supports gut health)

• Flavor: Garlic, fresh herbs, mustard, or natural sweeteners, like maple syrup and honey

• Nutrient boost (optional): Sprouts: I add a couple of tablespoons of home-sprouted alfalfa/clover to many of my salad dressing recipes, simply because they are the most high-nutrition foods on the planet (greens being in second place), and you can easily sneak them into dressings.

• Nutrient boost (optional): I often add a tablespoon of our Sprouted Ground Seeds to my salad dressings. Adding healthy fats, such as omega-3s, helps your body get the full benefits of the nutrients in your salad greens. These raw, living superfoods also help stabilize your mood and protect your bones, heart, and brain!

Basic recipe:

Whisk together 2 parts olive oil, 1 part vinegar or lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and herbs. Want a creamy option? Blend in plant-based yogurt, tahini, or avocado

These are a few of my favorite salad dressing recipes you can easily make at home.

Maple Syrup Dressing

My family voted this their favorite all-time dressing recipe!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 6 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup brown mustard
• 1/4 yellow or white onion
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender until smooth. Store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Honey Dressing

A fresh, zesty honey sauce for dressing and dipping.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt

Blend in a high-powered blender until smooth. Store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

[Related: The Incredible Benefits of Raw Honey]

Avocado Dressing

Ingredients

• 2 large avocados
• 1⁄2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 Tbsp nama shoyu, or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1⁄2 tsp sea salt
• 2-4 Tbsp water to achieve the desired consistency

Blend in a high-powered blender until smooth.

Tangy Dill Dressing

This delicious dressing is perfect for my Christmassy Salad or veggie wraps.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp raw honey
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp dried dill weed, or 1/4 cup fresh

Blend in a high-powered blender until smooth.

Asian Ginger Dressing

One of my family’s favorites, this is delicious with a simple salad of shredded cabbage and toasted sesame seeds, or my Cabbage Salad recipe.

Ingredients

• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 Tbsp fresh ginger root, minced
• 3⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1⁄2 cup nama shoyu
• 3 Tbsp honey

Blend all in a high-speed blender until the honey is liquefied and the ginger root and garlic are well blended.

[Related: Top Proven Ginger Health Benefits]

Final Thoughts: Don’t Let Dressing Undress Your Health

Salad dressing might seem like a small part of your meal, but its ingredients can have a significant impact on your health.

The good news? With a bit of label-reading or a few minutes in the kitchen, you can reclaim your salad’s superpowers – and truly eat clean.

 

Read Next:

5 Easy Ways to Make Gorgeous and Delicious Complete-Meal Salads

6 Healthy Summer Salads: Delicious Recipes for Potlucks, Parties, and Enjoying at Home