We are told to eat a rainbow of vegetables — and that is good advice. A colorful salad can be full of nutrients that support your whole body, including your eyes.
But the dressing you pour on top matters.

Many bottled salad dressings are made with cheap industrial seed oils like soybean, corn, sunflower, safflower, canola, or “vegetable oil.” These oils are high in omega-6 fats, especially linoleic acid.

Too much omega-6, especially without enough omega-3, may increase inflammation and oxidative stress in the body. Research has linked high omega-6 seed oil intake with mitochondrial damage and reduced heart function in animal studies. 

In other words, the salad is not the problem.

The commercial, bottled dressing may be.

That is why homemade dressing is such a simple upgrade. This lemon-basil olive oil dressing uses real ingredients: olive oil, fresh lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, mustard, garlic, basil, salt, and pepper.

No seed oils. No preservatives. No mystery ingredients.

Just bright, fresh flavor that makes vegetables taste better. And easier to make than you think!
 

Lemon-Basil Olive Oil Dressing

(this is Dr. Virden's version of a regional chain's lemon-basil vinaigrette!)
Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, about 2 lemons

• 1½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 1½ tablespoons honey

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard or Creole Zatarain’s mustard

• 1 clove garlic

• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, packed

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• ½ cup olive oil, added slowly

Instructions

Add the first nine ingredients to a blender or food processor.
Purée until smooth.

With the blender running, slowly add the remaining ½ cup olive oil, about 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dressing is smooth and creamy.

Taste and adjust as needed.
 

Why It Is Better

This dressing keeps your salad clean, fresh, and flavorful. It uses olive oil instead of omega-6-heavy seed oils, and it avoids the added sugars, preservatives, gums, and artificial flavors often found in bottled dressings.

So keep eating the rainbow.

Just be careful what you pour on top.