Low Fat Italian Salad Dressing Review

So I know this topic isn't about books, stationary, crafts or organization, but I happen to do this little experiment for myself, and thought I'd share. If you hate it? Oh well. I'm not going to make a habit of it. When you are healthy, you are more productive, which ties into the blog's purpose after all. Boom.

Eating a nutritious diet is one way to keep yourself healthy, happy and energetic. And when most of us think "diet", our mind turns to salad. Vegetables, meat, maybe fruit on beds of lettuce or spinach, sound familiar? For me, one of the things that makes a salad tolerable is the dressing. After all, even when dieting hardcore, it's important to take in some healthy fats and oils.

Here's a quick rundown of four low-fat Italian salad dressings that are available in grocery stores. When looking at spicing up your salad, you don't want to add back in many of the "bad" stuff that we are avoiding. Low-fat means different things to different brands, so this guide will let you know which store-bought option really is the best for you. Low-fat doesn't have to mean low-taste, so I will also be ranking the different dressings from 1-4 according to my taste preferences. Don't take my word for it; try it out yourself!

-Kraft Fat Free Zesty Italian Dressing. It has zero fat, 3 grams of carbs, and 15 calories*. Oh, and 340 grams of sodium. This dressing advertises itself as an "anything" dressing. And I sure tested that out. I put it on salad. I put it on chicken. I put it on broccoli, cauliflower, and zucchini. That last one I don't recommend, just because zucchini is so good on its own and the flavors kind of compete. Confession: I put it on fish, too. Don't judge me. But I absolutely love the taste of this one. If I had one word to describe it? Zesty. Good job Kraft's marketing! It gets a big ole four.

-Newman's Own Light Italian Dressing. This one has 60 calories, 50 of them are from fat*. However, if you are less concerned about calories and more concerned about carbs (only 1 gram!) or sodium (260 milligrams), this may be your option. I wasn't entirely a fan of this one, and wouldn't purchase it again. It's a lower fat version of their regular Italian dressing, so if you like that, give this a try. It had a distinct lemon flavor, which read "sour" more than "yummy" to my palate. But it was edible, so I rate it a two.

-Wishbone Light Italian Dressing. This one has 35 calories, 25 are from unsaturated fats*. 340 milligrams of sodium and 3 grams of carbs. Fun fact: on the bottle it says that the dressing is made of oils that help absorb vitamins A & E from the salad you are eating it with. That's probably true of all Italian dressings, but it was interesting all the same. I'm a fan of this one. Definitely a get again, especially because it is one of the lower calorie options. Taste rating is a three.

-Ken's Steakhouse Northern Italian with Basil and Romano. 45 calories, 40 from saturated fats, 1 gram of carbs, and 260 milligrams of sodium*. Basil and Romano are a great combo and a fantastic addition to the standard Italian dressing. How many times have I said the words Italian and dressing in this post**? Just yum. Works on everything, it gets a three.

If you are looking for a lower sodium dressing option, or are sick of trying all of these Italian dressings, I always stick with good old fashioned olive oil and vinegar. I throw in some garlic and herb Mrs. Dash seasoning, and you will have all the flavor without any of the high salt content or additives.

Another note, I was looking to review five low-fat Italian salad dressings available at my local store. Hidden Valley and a few of the organic brands did not have a low-fat option available. Kraft did have a regular low-fat Italian salad dressing separate from their Zesty variety, but I didn't want to be too Kraft-heavy in my review. I may always pick it up and try it out at some point, but I seem to be pretty satisfied with my choices.

Stay healthy!

*All dietary information is based on a two tablespoon serving size.

**If you were curious, dressing is used 14 times and Italian is used 12.