These anti-inflammatory salad dressings are bursting with flavors that will help you level up your salad intake. Eating salad doesn’t have to be boring just because you have food restrictions or you are on a certain diet.
As someone with chronic anti-inflammatory skin conditions and arthritis, I have been incorporating more ingredients with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in my daily foods. As the processed sauce doesn’t do well with my condition, these anti-inflammatory salad dressings are my favorite condiments that I keep repeating on prepping. They are packed with active compounds such as anti-oxidants and are high in Vitamins and minerals.
The power of anti-inflammatory Ingredients in your diet
Chronic inflammation is the biggest cause of death worldwide from cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, auto-immune disease, you name it. Although our inflammatory response is good for keeping us healthy, a chronic inflammation that stays in our body for a long can lead to many diseases.
Therefore, incorporating anti-inflammatory ingredients and natural foods instead of processed ones in your diet will help reduce inflammation.
If you are already familiar with vinaigrette, a combination of healthy oil and acids, guess what, it already contains active compounds that help reduce inflammation. Vinaigrette’s main ingredients are extra virgin olive oil and acid.
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is one of the best anti-inflammatory food
EVOO is undoubtedly associated with better overall health, hence helping to fight cancer, inflammatory disease, auto-immune disease and many more. Hence, it is one of the best anti-inflammatory foods. Plus, this monounsaturated fat is the most essential food in the Mediterranean Diet
EVOO contains anti-oxidants & fatty acids that give anti-inflammatory benefits:
Oleocanthal – One of the powerful anti-oxidant compounds that show the same anti-inflammatory effect as ibuprofen.
Oleic acid – a healthy fat compound that is beneficial in improving heart condition and arthritis and reducing inflammation.
How vinegar is best used in salad
Vinegar, especially apple cider vinegar (eaten with other foods) has been used as a traditional medicine to help reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Many research has backed this up. Thanks to the acetic acid, which makes a weird sensation on your jaw due to the sourness that makes salad tasty and healthy. While it is not clear if apple cider vinegar can have an anti-inflammatory effect, it is clear that it contains anti-microbial properties that help to clean your salad from bad bacteria naturally. As someone with a family history of diabetes, I always have apple cider vinegar in my pantry, mainly for salad dressings.
About these dressing recipes
In these recipes, virgin olive oil is used alongside vinegar and other acid, lemon and orange. Following the Mediterranean diet, I added both dry and fresh herbs to the dressing with other natural ingredients that not only complement the taste but come with tons of anti-inflammatory properties. Each of these salad dressings has its unique taste that will definitely hit your palate.
1) Japanese Carrot and Ginger Salad Dressing
This salad dressing combines carrot, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and ginger, seasoned with honey, black pepper, salt, sesame oil, and coconut amino (as a substitute for soy sauce). It is refreshing, sweet, and savory, with a slight gingery kick. A great addition for bitter vegetables.
Anti-inflammatory ingredients in this dressing
- Carrot – Due to the antioxidant, phenolic acid, flavonoid, and Vitamins C in carrot, it helps protect from getting sick and reduce inflammation. Carrot is said to be one of the best fruits for arthritis (inflammatory disease).
- Ginger – Ginger contains powerful active compounds, gingerols, shogaols that are responsible for reducing inflammation and many more health benefits. Ginger has been used as traditional medicine for a long time to reduce pain and protect from common sicknesses.
- Garlic – Another powerful ancient medicine used to treat common sicknesses. The anti-inflammation properties in garlic are widely known to benefit many aspects of health. Garlic is also anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, antiarthritic and many more.
- Black Pepper – Piperine in black pepper contain anti-inflammatory effect against chronic diseases. It is also high in antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antidepressant activities.
- Pure sesame oil – a healthy oil that is proven to show anti-inflammatory effects. Sesame oil has been used traditionally to treat joint pain.
- Honey – High in a phenolic and flavonoid compound responsible for reducing inflammation. Many studies have shown the health benefits of honey, including wound healing, and burns, fight infections, and treating common sicknesses.
- Lemon – Besides being high in vitamin C, lemon contains flavonoids which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects
2) Mediterranean Diet Salad Dressing
A classic Mediterranean Vinaigrette, rich in olive oil, combines fresh and dried herbs packed with anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. This dressing is always my go-to for quick dressing. It is easy to make with common staple foods in the pantry. It has a deep olive taste, slightly sour and salty, with a hint of herbal taste.
As suggested by many doctors, the Mediterranean diet emphasizes olive oil, herbs, and spices rich in anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant benefits alongside other whole foods. This salad dressing has those components in 1 jar, making it a perfect dressing for those on a Mediterranean diet.
Anti-inflammatory ingredients in this dressing
- Extra virgin olive oil – Rich in powerful Phenolic compounds, a natural antioxidant that helps to reduce inflammation.
- Thyme – Thyme has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antiseptic properties.
- Oregano – Oregano has strong antioxidants, which can help neutralize free radicals that lead to reduced inflammation.
- Italian Parsley – Also known as a medicinal plant used to treat many diseases. Antioxidants in parsley, including flavonoids, carotenoids, and vitamin C shown to have anti-inflammatory properties.
- Dijon Mustard – Contains anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory & anti-cancer properties. This article pointed out that mustard may help reduce inflammation and promote the healing of psoriasis-caused lesions.
3) Creamy Mango Vinaigrette – Caribbean style
This refreshing Caribbean Mango salad dressing, or spicy mango salad dressing, will tease your taste buds in a mindblowing way. It is a creamy, sweet, and sour sauce with a kick from the fresh spices and herbs. Despite it being a spicy sauce, it is tolerable (according to my husband, who doesn’t eat spicy at all).
Anti-Inflammatory Ingredients
- Mango – Rich in antioxidants such as vitamins B, C, and E and beta-carotene, alkaloids, flavonoids, and polyphenolic compounds. Mango contains prebiotics, therefore making it a gut-loving fruit. A study has shown that polyphenols in mango can potentially reduce inflammation in your gut.
- Garlic – Active compounds in ginger called gingerols, shogaols are responsible for reducing inflammation and many more health benefits.
- Ginger – A famous ancient medicine used to treat and prevent common sicknesses such as fever, cold, and many other diseases. Garlic is also shown to have various health benefits, anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, and antiarthritic.
- Coriander – Also known as cilantro, is an immune-boosting herb that has been proven to show the potential to reduce arthritis inflammation, slow the growth of cancer cells and has been used as an herbal medicine for the treatment of diabetes, hyperlipidemia and liver disease
4) Persian Sumac Sauce Salad Dressing
This sumac salad dressing is inspired by Shirazi salad from my Persian mother-in-law. It’s a citrusy dressing made of freshly squeezed citrus infused with Persian favorite herbs, sumac, mint leaves, and dills. This salad dressing is tasty, low in fat, and rich in vitamin C.
Anti-Inflammatory Ingredients
- Sumac – A native herb from the Middle East, sumac has been used as a traditional home remedy for centuries. It is rich in anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties. This study has shown sumac has reduced inflammation in the stomach, such as H. pylori-related gastritis.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Orange
- Lemon
- Black Pepper
These easy and delicious anti-inflammatory dressings from around the world have been my go-to dressing recipe that helps me increase my salad intake. It combines healthy fat, acids, fresh herbs, and fruits that are rich in anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Anti-inflammatory ingredients help to reduce chronic inflammation and hence reduce the chance of getting serious diseases.
