We all know the best way to eat your salad is un-dressed (the greens, that is, not necessarily you). The next best thing is probably a light coating of olive oil and vinegar -- the Sleuth's preferred method, with a little Dijon mustard whisked in.
But a naked lettuce lunch doesn't appeal to everyone. So this week our testers checked out three light blue cheese dressings, all refrigerated in the produce section. Creamy dressings like blue cheese are usually laden with fat and sometimes sodium, but these three promised nutritional improvement.
Bolthouse Farms Creamy Yogurt Dressing -- Chunky Blue Cheese
Cost: $3.99 per 14-ounce bottle
Nutrition: 70 calories, 6.5 g fat (2.5 g saturated, 13 percent Daily Value); 15 mg cholesterol (5 percent Daily Value); 150 mg sodium (6 percent Daily Value).
The verdict: Yogurt base adds to the already pungent taste of the blue cheese, giving this dressing the most flavor of the three. Thin consistency (ingredients don't indicate a thickening agent) makes for easy pouring over a salad but not good for dipping carrot and celery sticks. Obvious bits of blue cheese.
Grade: A
Naturally Fresh Lite Bleu Cheese Dressing
Cost: $3.29 per 16-ounce bottle.
Nutrition: Per 2-tablespoon serving: 100 calories, 10 g fat (2.5 g saturated, 13 percent Daily Value); 10 mg cholesterol (3 percent Daily Value); 170 mg sodium (7 percent Daily Value).
The verdict: Mildest blue cheese taste of the three. Medium consistency, good for pouring or dipping. Obvious bits of blue cheese. Had the most fat and calories.
Grade: A-
Marie's Lite Chunky Blue Cheese
Cost: $3.39 per 12-ounce bottle.
Nutrition: Per 2-tablespoon serving: 80 calories; 6 g fat (1.5 g saturated, 8 percent Daily Value); 5 mg cholesterol (2 percent Daily Value); 280 mg sodium (12 percent Daily Value).
The verdict: Depends on if you want a dip or a salad dressing. Taste is fine but too thick for pouring over a salad, and the thickness obscures bits of blue cheese. Had much more sodium than the other brands.
Grade: B-
The bottom line: These more-healthful products won't make your salad dressed to kill.
