Just to show that a food doesn't have to be labeled in a special way to be tasty and good for you! Hidden Valley Ranch is a standard ranch dressing, but it has only 2g carbs.

First off, what is ranch dressing? Ranch is a dressing made from egg, oil, a buttermilk. It is generally white in color and has a creamy, mild flavor. Some people make ranch dressing from sour cream and mayonnaise.

The Hidden Valley ranch is a gentle flavor. I like it because it provides an ideal base. If you're feeling like your stomach is unsettled, a salad with this is a nice soother. If you want something more flavorful, you just toss in some garlic powder, or oregano, or whatever spice hits your fancy at the moment. Now you have a nice dressing of the chosen flavor.

The dressing doesn't say diet or low carb - but it naturally is that way. there are only 2g carbs per serving, plus 1g of protein. There are 14g of fat including 2.5g saturated fats. There are no trans fats. You also get 2% of your vitamin C.

Most people know they should be eating a salad or two every day - before lunch and dinner - but they get bored with salads. Usually the reason they get bored is that they are eating the exact same salad every time and their taste buds get worn down by it. The key is to liven things up. One day toss on sharp cheddar cheese with lots of garlic in the dressing. Another day use a mild cheddar with some basil. Go through your spice cabinet and see what appeals to you each day. Get a variety of cheeses to sprinkle on top, some bacon bits, some hard boiled eggs to cut up. Get different types of tomatoes - little grapes, medium sized romas. Cut up carrots into little slivers.

The easier you make your mix-and-match, the better. Get little Tupperware bins to keep your salad fixings and treat yourself to your own personal salad bar each day.

Salads are good for you for many reasons. They fill you up so you don't eat other bad foods. They are nutritious in and of themselves - we all should be eating far more veggies! A good, versatile dressing is part of how you make this work.

Put it on your to-do list for this week - eat more salads!


Lisa Shea's Library of Low Carb Books