Homeade Dressings & Sauces

Something that I have recently been getting more serious about doing is making my own homemade sauces and dressings, or otherwise buying organic, and always checking the ingredient list on these food items (even when something isn’t labeled organic, it can still be perfectly fine for consumption) I check the ingredient list for all food items, but these I highly recommend others pay more attention to because so often I find that dressings and sauces have a lot of harmful ingredients. When I say harmful ingredients, I’m referring to ingredients that disrupt balance in our body, by negatively affecting bodily processes (remember everything is connected in the body), often through its impact on the gut. The number one worst ingredient that I often see in dressings and especially sauces (e.g., ketchup, barbeque, cocktail sauce, etc.) on the shelves, is high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). HFCS is a cheaper alternative to sugar or sucrose, and it is significantly more damaging to the body. Not only does it cause sugar cravings as a result of “ATP trapping” (trapped energy, signaling the brain that you have not been nourished and are still hungry) and its’ effect on gut bacteria, but it is also a major gut irritant, as it breaks down the gut barrier. Fructose when extracted and combined with glucose to curate sweeteners like sucrose (table sugar) and HFCS, does not break down in the gut; it can only be metabolized in the liver, and that is why a lot of the adverse health effects or symptoms from consuming sugar and HFCS occur.

Other ingredients that I often see that are harmful include artificial flavors and colorings such as titanium dioxide (damaging to DNA and cause inflammation – is used in skin care products like sunscreen, and gives creamy dressings like ranch that pretty white look); synthetic preservatives like sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate (both linked to oxidative stress, inflammation, allergies, skin irritation, etc.); high sugar and sodium levels; and hydrogenated oils (or trans-fats linked to oxidative stress, high blood pressure, high triglyceride levels, etc.). These ingredients are not healthy, and I try my best to avoid them and reduce my intake of foods containing these ingredient plus high amounts of sugar and sodium. I highly suggest we all become more weary of what kinds of ingredients we are consuming and raise the standard of what’s acceptable to put in our body.

The process of eliminating conventional dressings and sauces from your fridge and your diet does not have to be overly complicated. I started slow, checking labels on what was already in my fridge and some things I either threw away or ate moderately until it was gone and never bought that item/brand again. I have spent time in the grocery store browsing and reading labels, to find my new favorites. I will say I love making dressings and sauces (cocktail sauce, white fish taco sauce, Thousand Island, vinaigrettes, etc.). They are easy to make, you control how much fat, sugar, and sodium they have, and you get to feel good knowing that they are digesting well in the stomach.

Below I include two of my favorite and super easy-to-prepare dressing recipes! *The lemon vinaigrette literally goes with almost any salad and the raspberry pairs nicely with salads containing fruit.