February 16, 2015
There are two basic changes we can make to improve our health. Exercise more and eat better. And in terms of eating better, that usually means eating more vegetables.
The push to eat more fresh veggies has grown as we've learned more about our health and the effect of processed foods on the body. I remember in the 70s hearing for the first time, "You are what you eat." It's still a widely embraced phrase. Whether it's Dr. Dean Ornish's research on lifestyle changes that revolve around a plant based diet or the 5 A Day program promoting eating five kinds of vegetables and fruits each day, the encouragement is all around us to mold our lifestyles around better eating. Of course, farmer's markets have become a more significant source of fruits and vegetables for us. And going to the farmer's market is a great social activity, too.
If you are consuming more veggies and fruits these days, chances are you're eating more salads. Have you checked what's in many commercially prepared salad dressings? I'm not attempting to be Consumer Reports, but let's just call it the way it is. There are many supposedly "healthy" salad dressings that simply aren't. I won't name names, but I'm looking at one of the most popular salad dressings with a beautiful label that pictures vegetables on it. The dressing has 14 grams of fat, 3 of those grams are saturated... in just 2 tablespoons, as much as half a hamburger! It's also loaded with salt, sugar and MSG.
We can do better, way better, making our own salad dressing. And the good news... it's easy! Healthy locally sourced ingredients are all around us, especially here in San Luis Obispo county.
Healthy oils and vinegars
It just doesn't get any easier than this, especially if you splurge and get premium olive oils and balsamic vinegars. I like to add 3 parts olive oil to 1 part balsamic in a small canning jar. That's it. You're done. You can experiment with different kinds of olive oil from pungent to light in flavor. And balsamic vinegar can be pretty fancy, too. The more expensive kinds are aged like wine (since it's made from grape pressings).
Add sprinkles of herbs or spices and the favors magnify. Just about any will do based on your own likes: black pepper, oregano, thyme, rosemary, mint, cilantro, etc.
Riffing on the oil and vinegar combo is easy, too. For a citrus twist put in a couple of tablespoons of frozen orange juice concentrate (no sugar added version). Or, blend a half cup of berries in the food processor and add.
Just a word on dairy and salad dressings: just remember that adding cheeses or creams increases saturated fat. It's no surprise the top selling salad dressings are dairy based. My suggestion, to keep it healthier, is to use soft goat cheese in place of cheddar and the usual harder cheeses, and to replace cream with low fat yogurt. Both goat cheese and yogurt are better for the body.
Keeping it local
Olives are widely grown in SLO county and premium olive oil can be found at farmer's markets. But you can also seek it out at wineries and olive growers around the county, too. Here's a great list of some producers in our area.
You can also find some amazing balsamic and wine vinegars on the central coast, too. The Bay Area and Napa are the focal points for craft vinegars but that is starting to expand to our neck of the woods. Local growers and makers like Chaparral Gardens near Morro Bay and Hearst Ranch have regular offerings. If you're ever in Los Olivos check out Global Gardens for Santa Barbara County vinegars and that goes for the store Il Fustino n Santa Barbara, too.
Grapeseed oil is a great alternative to olive oils if the taste of olives isn't your thing. And nut oils are fantastic, too. Walnut, hazelnut and pistachio oils comes to mind - just remember to refrigerate them because they can go rancid sitting on the shelf. Another wonderful taste is coconut oil for summery and tropical salads. A vinaigrette made with coconut oil and lime juice is easy to make and tastes great on a seafood salad. And of course sesame seed oil is good for many kinds of salads from Asian fusion styles to the basic lettuce, tomato and onion.
Getting excited
It's a corny statement but so true: our health is our only wealth. So, if eating more vegetables and fruits is in your plans, how about getting serious and excited? Instead of having a bottle of non-descript olive oil over in that cupboard and vinegar in this other one, establish a dedicated shelf where you keep your salad dressing kit. Like any lifestyle change, the easier you make it to follow through, the greater chances you will.
For many of us, we've never looked back, having moved on from wanting fast food hamburgers. We've come too far to turn around and pour one on our salad!