8 Best Healthy Salad Dressing Recipes for Weight Loss Over 50
Satisfying and Filling Salads for Weight Management
Everyone knows that eating plenty of vegetables is key to a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight. Including salads multiple times a week is an excellent way for those over 50 to get those vegetables in your diet. Adding salads to your meal rotation can help with weight management, digestive issues, and management of blood sugar issues, which are so important for seniors.
While some people think of salad and believe that it consists of a plate of soggy iceberg lettuce topped with boring ranch dressing, we know that it can be so much more than that. Salad doesn't have to be dull diet food that leaves you hungry.
Mix Textures and Flavors
Salads can consist of masses of vegetables and even fruits and nuts. Salads can feature varying colors, textures, and flavors of salad greens topped with tasty things that are filling and nutritious. Making delicious salads isn't complicated. In fact, it's downright easy to make a wonderful salad.
Dress Up Your Salad with These Quick, Healthy, and Flavorful Homemade Dressings
We here at Mighty Health have plenty of tools to help you stay at a healthy weight by including salads in your daily eating plan, like our list of recipes for healthy salad dressings. These recipes can help you add creative salads to the list of tasty and nutritious things that you eat on a daily basis. Read on to enjoy Mighty Health's eight best salad and salad dressing recipes.
1. Zesty Greek Salad Dressing
Doctors have praised the effects of the Mediterranean diet for its health benefits, and if you love eating in this style, this recipe for Greek Salad dressing is the perfect way to top your plate of fresh greens. Not only is it tasty, it is quick and easy to whip up in your kitchen.
2. Creamy Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing
What if you are a more traditional type, and you like a classic ranch salad dressing? The problem with relying on store-bought ranch dressings is that they are often loaded with excessive amounts of sodium and hidden sugars which can wreak havoc on your low carb eating plan. However, by making your own salad dressing, you can avoid this. Our recipe for Homemade Greek Yogurt Ranch dressing gives you all the familiar tastes of ranch dressing without the extra sugars.
3. Dairy Free Ranch Dressing
Another option for healthy ranch dressing is to make it dairy free by using cashews! Cashews are loaded with nutrients, and some studies have found that they can promote weight loss, help with moderating blood sugar levels, and contribute to heart health.
Our recipe for Cashew Ranch Dressing can top your salad with a dressing made from this amazing super food. It is thick and creamy and has all the seasonings that you love for your salads.
4. Herby Green Goddess Dressing
Whether you want to drizzle it on a salad or dip freshly cut veggies into it, our recipe for Green Goddess Dressing is cool and creamy and super easy to toss together. This dressing is a nutrition power house because of all the fresh, delicious herbs.
Some recipes for this salad dressing feature mayonnaise or sour cream, but to increase the nutrition profile, we used Greek yogurt. You'll want to make a batch of Green Goddess Dressing. Keep the extra dressing in the fridge so you can enjoy it for several days on many different dishes.
5. Southwest Chili Lime Vinaigrette Dressing
Are you craving a little heat? If so, this recipe for Chili Lime Vinaigrette Salad Dressing is probably just the one for you. It is loaded with citrus flavors, has a bit of sweetness due to the honey and includes a punch of heat with the addition of red pepper flakes. This dressing is a perfect addition to salads that feature chickpeas or black beans and corn. It is also incredible as an addition to a taco salad.
6. Hearty Avocado Vinaigrette Dressing
This dressing is not only delicious, but it is also a perfect option for a filling salad! Avocado is high in healthy fats, which help keep you full. Also, the use of avocado gives this salad dressing a creamy texture without the use of dairy products. Try adding it on a bed of greens with roasted vegetables, salmon or chicken, and pomegranate seeds for a crunchy, creamy, delicious lunch or dinner.
If you’re looking for a hearty salad, this Avocado Vinaigrette Dressing is just the one to try.
7. Crowd Pleasing Italian Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
If you've never been one to create salads, other than shredding a bit of iceberg and topping it with bacon bits, you may be at a loss as to how to make a tasty salad. This recipe for Italian Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette takes all the mystery out of the salad-making process. We tell you what greens to use, which veggies to throw in, and how to make a basic Italian-style salad dressing. It’s perfect as a healthy side dish, or add a bit of protein with chicken or chickpeas to make it a main dish.
8. Flavorful Chicken Kale Waldorf Salad with Avocado Goat Cheese
Salad is so much more than a pile of greens on a plate. This recipe for Chicken Kale Waldorf Salad with Avocado Goat Cheese will turn your idea of what a salad is upside down. It features grilled chicken, apples, grapes, nuts, and so much more topped with a dressing that features just a hint of mustard flavor along with some balsamic vinegar. This salad is just loaded with tastes and textures that will amaze you!
More Healthy Recipes and Weight Management for Those Over 50
Let’s change the narrative on aging! From losing weight, to getting stronger through exercise, Mighty Health is your one stop shop for helping you feel your best in your 50s and beyond. Try out workouts designed to help you build balance, join free live classes over Zoom, and explore tons of lessons and recipes that help you feel mighty from the inside out!
You’re not in this alone, either! Match with your very own Mighty Health coach who is a real person here to guide you every step of the way. Your coach will help you design a workout and eating plan that is right for you. They’re always just a text message away to answer any questions you have, motivate you, and support you. Try it out today and see for yourself all the ways Mighty can help you feel balanced.
