Is there anything sadder than a dry salad? At WAG Nutrition Coaching, we’re all about ensuring you enjoy your meals and include foods you love in your nutrition plan. And, for many people, a boring salad is just not it.
But, a salad full of fresh veggies and starchy carbs, topped with your favorite protein source and a macro-friendly salad dressing from Trader Joe’s, is not just a tasty meal. It's a powerhouse of nutrition and an easy way to increase your intake of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
The most macro-friendly salad dressing option for you depends on your macros and diet preferences. For example, a flavor that is great for someone eating a higher-carb diet won’t be ideal for someone eating a high-fat, low-carb diet.
We’ve included macro-friendly salad dressing options from Trader Joe’s categorized by diet preference. Before we dive into our recs, let’s discuss a few ways to ensure you pick the best option.
How to Find a Macro-Friendly Salad Dressing
It's important to read the nutrition label on your salad dressing container. Here, you’ll find information about the serving size (most dressings have a serving size of 2 tbs), the number of macros in each serving, and the ingredients.
We generally recommend avoiding dressing options with refined oils (soybean, corn, vegetable, canola), MSG, corn syrup, and artificial flavors. This can be tricky, especially when finding healthy low-fat salad dressings, as these ingredients enhance the taste and texture of the dressing that you lose when cutting back on oils and sugars.
Some of our suggestions below include soybean oil, but in moderation and in conjunction with a healthy diet full of whole foods, they shouldn’t damage most people’s health and well-being. We recommend speaking with your doctor if you have specific concerns or working with a 1-on-1 nutrition coach to decide what dressings are best for you to enjoy or avoid.
Low-Fat, Low-Carb Trader Joe's Salad Dressings
The options below contain less than 5g of fat and carbs per serving, making them great low-calorie options when you’re in a deficit and need to ensure most of your macros come from high-volume, chew-and-swallow foods.
- Fresh Cilantro Dressing
- Green Goddess Dressing
Pro tip: Trader Joe’s is known for its dips and sauces. Get creative and try using fan favorites like their Reduced Guilt Guacamole (or our dupe!), Cowboy Caviar Salsa, Guacasalsa, or Pico de Gallo Salsa.
(Wondering why you don't see Trader Joe's cult favorites like Carrot Miso Ginger or Turmeric? Unfortunately, they've been discontinued!)
Moderate-Fat Salad Dressing Options
If you plan ahead, have more macros to play with, or aren’t experiencing much hunger, these moderate-fat salad dressing options are a delicious way to make your salads more fun.
However, they will take up more macros and have between 5-10g of fat per serving, so if your hunger is high in a cut, these may not be the best way to use your calories.
- Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
- Vegan Creamy Dill Dressing
- Vegan Caesar Dressing
- Organic Mango Vinaigrette
High-Fat, Low-Carb Salad Dressing Options
Whether you follow a high-fat, low-carb diet or full-on keto, these dressings are higher in fat and lower in carbs and make a perfect salad topping.
- Toasted Sesame Dressing
- French Vinaigrette with Shallots
Don’t Forget to DIY
Don’t forget you can make your own salad dressing. Whether you mix up an at-home Caesar, hummus dressing, or a DIY Green Goddess, staying in control of all ingredients is a great way to tweak a recipe to ensure it fits your macros.
If you need support determining and tracking your macros, work with a 1-on-1 nutrition coach. We’ll help you nail down exactly how much you need to eat to reach your unique goals and how to enjoy foods you love in the process.
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