Interesting

I find this as the permanent fight between "dietetics" and "cousine".

In order to eat some foods, we need (or we are used to) add them other healthy or unhealthy foods. Not for dietetics reasons but for "commonly accepted dishes". Nobody would serve a salad without any dressing despite we could most agree that,a salad should not have a dressing, a part from some oils and in determinated amount. 

Same happens with a lots of healthy veggies that are consumed with butter. 

What is healthy does not match with our habits and recipes. Our recipes are tasty and delicious, not just healthy.

i dont know if this kind of thoughts help...

I'm inclined to believe that adding portion-control (no more than 1 tbsp) healthy oils, such as extra virgin olive oil, to home salad dressing it is ok. However, it should not be forgotten that fat has a lot of calories, consequently we should consume it in moderation. 

It can not be denied that foods which contain fat, help fat soluble vitamins to be absorbed. Without an adequate amount of fat in your diet, your body is unable to effectively absorb the fat soluble vitamins that are essential to your health, but you should not overdo it. You only need a small amount of fat to facilitate vitamin absorption.

In the final analysis, as I mentioned above, should you consume oil in moderation, it is ok to add it to home salad dressing.

In my opinion, yes. For salad I recommend use olive oil, extra virgin of course. 

Vegetables, for example, carrots need fat to increase carotenoids bioavailability, you can add some sour cream, but also milk or oil.

Definitely include extra virgin, cold-pressed oils that are high in MUFAs, like olive, avocado, and macadamia.  I don't pay any mind to the portion size or calories except in special circumstances.  In my experience, patients lose more weight on moderate-calorie, nutrient-dense diets with high quantities of healthy fats than they do on calorie-restricted, low fat diets.  So I focus on the nutritional and therapeutic qualities of their foods rather than on caloric intake.  The impact of things like EVO (extra virgin olive oil) on lipid QUALITY in the body is more important than how many calories it has.   Mediterranean diets often include particularly high intakes of EVO and the health benefits far outweigh any need to consider caloric intake.

I agree with you Hope Foley. 

The most important is the quality of the diet and not the caloric value.

I absolutely support to add the oil, as olive oil, but it has to be from reliable source.

The amount of calories, in my opinion is not  the problem.

Definitely you could preferably add plant based oils such as Olive oil

Dear Yago,

Thank you for your answer, I agree with you there is a fight between dietetics and cuisine, we feel guilty with dense food in saturated fats and sugars, but little will make no harm as nutrition is a part of our culture. In our cooking lessons we always recommend to use salad dressing  as you said in determined amount,  using teaspoon not from the bottle because that  culture  will be transferred to another generation and our children.

Best regards

Aly

Dear Xenophon Theodoridis,

Thank you for your participation, yes I agree with you in moderation to using oils, that is one line of the healthy triangle of nutrition the rest is balance and variety. There is a recommendation (WHO)  to have  30% energy from fats. The invitation here  not to stop oil in salad dressing but using healthy oil in moderation because at the end of the day oils will participate in our energy intake also it does not make sense to add half cup of olive oil on one salad portion.

Best regards

Aly 

Edyta Gheribi

Thank yo for you answer, I agree with you virgin oil is a healthy option in salad dressing.  Salad dressing including olive oil not only give oleic acid (MUFA) that is a healthy fatty acid that have no conjugated diene (no sites for oxidation) and other nutrients but also shine our salad and make it smoother and tastier than using only vinegar and lemon juice that is my favorite salad dressing. Also there is always fat in the diet that facilitate the absorption of fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E,K) and non nutrients such  carotenoids and some phytochemicals.

Best regards

Aly 

Dear Hope ,

Thank you for your clear and straightforward answer.  I agree with you using EVA is a healthy option in salad dressing although the high prices of EVA.  However,  we should pay attention to portion size  because we have standard we should go with it such as  RDA, WHO ..etc that is translated to portions. I agree with you that moderate-calorie  diets  giving better results than restricted-calorie diets; we are humans and have culture, deprivation is something now gone in sound nutrition science; now patients   are stick with choose/reduce strategy instead adherence and prohibit. Quality of diet including moderation, variety and balance therefore we should pay attention to both quality and quantity of the diet. 

Best regards

Aly

I think that adding,  for salad,  olive oil, extra virgin is ok.

You can add healthy oil, e.g Ben oil

Dear Beatrice,

Thank you for your answer, so what is  Ben oil? 

It is not correct  fat is added to salad to facilitate absorption fat soluble vitamins. Fat present in other dishes can do the job.  We eat food not only for nutrients. We also enjoy food. The art of food preparation has been developing for millenia. Fat is added to salad, along with other condiments, to enhance its taste. Fat in food is primarily a source of dietary energy. Type of (vegetable) fat matters little in this regard.

Moudud

Dear Dr Moududur,

Yes I agree with you that fat is available in other dishes so we do not need  to add oils to   salads dressing to facilitate the absorption of fat soluble vitamins. Many cultures do not use oil in salad dressing for example Egypt,  mainly use salad dressing free from oil,  however in cooking classes in my department we recommend French dressing for  green salad as one example because the consumer perception factor. Personally I am using a tea spoon of mixture of fresh lemon juice and vinegar as a salad dressing. The other thing to make it clear fat is a concentrated source of energy not primary source as you know 1g of fat  gives 9 Kcals, however the primary source of energy is carbohydrate for many reasons. 

Best regards

Aly

I pointed out that practice of adding oil to salads is a ""matter of taste"", which is personal. I also meant the role of fat in diet is "" primarily a source of dietary energy"", which is different from designating it as ""primary source of energy""

Moudud

yes definitely one can use a spoon full of oil as salad dressing but another truth is same that do not make it excessive............... moderate uses are fine and fat is required both foe energy as well as for absorption of fat soluble vitamin

Dear Bushra,

In many situations components of salad dressing is relating more to food habits.

Best regards

Aly

The type, amount and quality of oil plays a major role in providing the consumer with the proper health benefits or viceversa.

The type of oil better not to be saturated or hydrogenated, as a salad dressing I would recommened olive oil since its rich in Mono unsaturated, which is good for the heart health, then the amount measure it with teaspoons then the quality must be stored properly to avoid oxidation

For salads can also be used other healthy oils, such as linseed oil, walnut oil, pumpkin seeds oil. Walnut oil is primarily a rich source of essential unsaturated fatty acids. It also contains vitamins, including Vitamins E, A, K and B vitamins. It also contains biotin. Pumpkin seed oil is rich in both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. In addition, it contains numerous phytosterols, elements and precious vitamins, most of which are group B and E.

Dear Fatima,

Thank you for your participation, which salad dressing is popular in Lebanon?

Best regards

Aly

Dear Edyta,

Thank you for your rich answer, so which salad dressing is popular in Poland?

Best regards

Aly

Dear Aly,

It is difficult to say what is popular in Poland. People whose care of health use olive oil and linseed oil. Pumpkin seed oil and walnut seed oil belongs to the exclusive and expensive, but has special taste properties. In Poland, the Mediterranean diet is not typical, but increasingly popular due to its health benefits.

Dear Edyta,

Fine, so what is popular/national salad dish in Poland? In Egypt we have green salad that is popular one and is served with cooked beans and others, tahini and yogurt are very popular in Egypt as well. Also French dressing is popular at the level of cooking lessons and restaurants, also coleslaw is popular in American restaurants in Egypt.

Best regards

Aly

Dear Aly,

this is a very intersting topic. In salads, such as in cooking in general, it is essential use good quality ingredients. Among oils, EVOO (extra virgin oilve oil) and other cold-pressed oils (not refined!) are of course the best. Personally, I live in Southern Italy, an area where EVOO production is prosperous, so I use exclusively this oil both in salads and in cooking.

However, food habits traditionally depend on the local availability of certain ingredients. I think it is better to use local, good quality ingredients than force us to follow different food habits by adding "exotic" ingredients, often expensive and sometimes of dubious quality. If in Egypt is not common to add EVOO to salad I think it is not a problem because there are oily seeds such as sesame seeds, although the fatty acids profile is not the same, of course.

It has to be considered that EVOO is the marketing category of an oil at the moment of bottling. Special care has to be put in how bottles are then stored (away of light, in fresh places). If bottles are not kept in optimal conditions on the market shelves (or at home), there is the risk to buy and use an oil that is not EVOO anymore. Mono/polyunsaturated oils are prone to oxidation especially under lightning, so all of us should be careful in how we store ingredients at least in our kitchens.

Best regards,

Antonella

Article Fluorescence spectroscopy in monitoring of extra virgin oliv...

Article Influence of the exposure to light on extra virgin olive oil...

Article Correlation of triacylglycerol oligopolymers and oxidised tr...

Dear Anotenella,

This very nice comment, I've just mention  to sort of food practice in Egypt and other places as they  use  vinegar, lemon juice, mustard and flaxseed oils that are not exotic; to open the door for everyone to share with daily use of ingredients. It is something really related to availability materials as you said as well. Your lucky to live in this area that is prosperous in EVOO!

Also thank you for the materials attached.

Best regards

Aly 

The most popular salad dressing is extra virgin olive oil,lebanese families minimally consume 20 L of olive oil per year,some reach 50 L of olive oil. We appretiate this oil a lot and try to include it in all our foods, but we never fry with it. We mostly use sunflower oil for frying, usually olive oilis used in Tabbouleh a traditional salad in Lebanon that was elected in the past as one of the most healthy foods, basically it is parsley chopped finely, with tomatoes diced into small square, with onion diced too, mint chopped finely also, and borghol which is brown wheat processed naturally in a specific way to peovide it with spacial taste, the dressing is mainly composed of olive oil with some lemon and salt.

Dear Manoj,

no problem about mistyping, thanks!

What kind of oil/fat was most used traditionally in Kerala before the advent of large soybean cultivation and exploitation?

It is interesting to know how food habits are changing in different areas of the world. For example, in Italy the so-called Mediterranean diet nowadays is being abandoned especially by young people that tend to eat a lot of meat at fast food shops.

Best regards to all,

Antonella

Dear Aly,

 In Poland popular salads are salads based on green salad with the addition of tomatoes, cucumbers. Add meat, grilled meat, grilled or smoked fish, or cheese (feta). Dressing is olive oil or vinegar or garlic sauce.

Dear M Hesam,

Interesting, we have the same salad ingredients in Egypt, rich salad dish.

Dear Fatima,

Interesting information, as people in Lebanon consume these amounts of olive oil, how is the statistics of heart disease? I understand that sunflower oil is a light oil, not good for frying? have you tried to stir fry with olive oil?

Best regards

Aly

Dear Manoj Oak, 

Important subject which oil is good/bad for health? when  reviewing the history of oil production since 1902 when Norman used hydrogenation for oils. In 1911 it was the first production of Crisco (hydrogenated cotton seed oil), in 1950 hydrogenated oils come to top. In late 1950 released studies link between saturated fats with heart disease so production of hydrogenated oils back on use and oils take place. In nineteenth trans fatty acids is linked to heart disease according to the Harvard study. Since that time and we use oils, the question now does heart disease decreased in the world? 

Best regards

Aly

Oil is a highly processed food that has been stripped of its beneficial phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals and fiber and is not recommended. Even "olive oil" can be harmful to the endothelium. I recommend adding plant based whole foods to add fat to the dressing and enhance nutrient absorption. Nuts, seeds, olives, avocado etc are great options.

Interesting answer Barbara, how olive oil can be harmful to the endothelium?

Here are some related links regarding oils and the endothelium:

http://ucdintegrativemedicine.com/2015/04/the-good-bad-and-ugly-about-oils/#gs.tTS3Y58

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/olive-oil-and-artery-function/

https://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2014/801896/

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/803568

Although this theory has its skeptics: https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/32742/does-olive-oil-damage-endothelial-cells

Dear Barbara,

Thank you for prompt response with several links above, please let me go to see them.

Best regards

Aly

Dear Aly, interesting topic, am going to make a very non educated remark in terms of eating salad. I prefer my salad dressing with a little bit of oil. I believe that we need to balance science and preference and food choices while we eat. If we know our moderation, I guess a tasty salad will not kill us.  as long as we keep the approximate 30% of total energy from oils depending on our physiological requirement I don't think having a little oil is way harmful. that is my personal remarks 

Dear Passang,

Thank you for your participation, I appreciate your personal remarks.

Best regards

Aly

Please  can you dive in Barbra Wagner links above your comment

Dear Manoj Oak,

Thank you for your participation, please can you dive in Barbra Wagner links.

Best regards

Aly

I recommend this article.

Article Właściwości zdrowotne oliwy z oliwek. Health attributes of o...

Dear researchers

Would be very interesting to know, how much olive oil you use for salad in a month? I use personally about 0.75 l.

Dear Edyta,

looks interesting, can you send this article not upside down and  if in English will help me much.

Best regards

Aly

In Shelton diet the most suitable combination for fats with other foods is the vegetables.

Dear Aly,

I am so sorry, I did not see it is upside down. I will try fix this.

http://www.czytelniamedyczna.pl/2424,wlasciwosci-zdrowotne-oliwy-z-oliwek.html

Personally, I do not ad oil to salad. Occasionally, my balance tends to be negative and I ad oil!

Respected Aly R Abdel-Moemin!

Its not good to add oil in raw form on salads. But if good one oil like virgin olive oil or extra virgin olive oil or any first cold processed oil is used in measured quantity then its good for health. Along with health benefits it would add some taste to the salads also making them delicious.

I just do not add any oil to salad. This is to say that the main problem in meals is energy content. A poor energy content may usefully be compensated by virgin oil!

We can solve the problems in two aspects: (1) Whether we should add oil to home salad dressing (Quantity) and (2) What type of oil we should add.

Regarding to the first issue, whether we should add oil to home salad or how much we should add depend on your daily energy and fat intake, and your health status. For example, if you consume lots of calories every day, then it is not so good to add much oil to home salad dressing, as it increases your energy intake and thus leads to overweight or obesity due to positive energy balance (Energy intake > energy output). If you do not consume much fat every day, then it is good to add oil to home salad dressing to help fat soluble vitamin to be absorbed, as you mentioned. So you may need to first calculate you energy intake using any equation like Mifflin St Jeor equation, which was reviewed as the most reliable equation among adults (Article Comparison of Predictive Equations for Resting Metabolic Rat...

Article Comparison of Predictive Equations for Resting Metabolic Rat...