Afew days ago, I invited you to join me on a 30-day fitness challenge, and many of you did. Today is Day 4, and one of the things I am enjoying most is that each day, we focus on specific challenge areas: Active/Cardio, Strength, Nutrition, Mind/Body, and Flexibility.
Today’s Nutrition Challenge is to research a food I consider a “staple,” and determine whether it’s healthy or if I need to find a substitute. I researched Ken’s Steak House Lite Asian Sesame with Ginger & Soy salad dressing (get nutrition information at Ken’s Foods website), which I love. Here’s what I discovered.
The Good Stuff
On the good side, this dressing taste great — especially if you love Asian cuisine like I do. It is low in calories and fat, also big plusses in its favor.
The Bad Stuff
On the not so good side, it’s very high in sodium (no surprise there). It also contains MSG, which I never noticed.
My research using what I consider to be credible sources (including Mayo Clinic and Yale Scientific), reveals that, while some people experience adverse effects after eating foods containing MSG, it is “generally perceived by the scientific community to be harmless.”
What I’m Doing About It
OK, that sounds good, but as much as I hate to admit it (because I do LOVE this dressing), I think I need to find a substitute — I need to figure out how to make my own.
I’ll experiment over the next few weeks to see if I can come up with something delicious. I think I’ll start with this recipe for Orange Sesame Salad Dressing. I’ll swap out the sugar for Truvía to lower the sugar content, and swap out the soy sauce for Bragg’s Liquid Aminos to lower the salt content. I will also add ginger, and may cut back the orange juice a bit. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Questions: Are you doing the 30-Da Fitness Challenge with me? What are you learning? If you have a favorite recipe for a salad dressing you make yourself, please share it in the FaceBook or Disqus comment area below.
