Dieting over 40 does not work. Adopting the diet and lifestyle that suits your age group does.

The number 1 thing you can start today is to investigate hidden sugars and preservatives in your diet. The number 2 thing is to ensure you get enough quality and healthy fats. Both interfere with your hormonal balance.

A good place to start is to assess your salad dressing.

Eating a salad always seems to be healthier than going for a sandwich or a burger. However, take-away salad or homemade salads do often contain hidden sugars and not-so-healthy ingredients due to the added dressing.

Industrial dressings contain a large range of stabilizers, as well as lots of salt and sugar, and low quality fat.

Homemade is healthy and easy

The base ingredient of your salad dressing is quality oil. Choose from extra virgin olive oil, walnut oil, sesame or macadamia oil, or hemp seed oil. Variety is key so you get the omega 3, 6, and 9 for balancing hormones.

Check your pantry

Swap your processed salad dressing with quality ingredients such as:

• Celtic Sea Salt or Himalayan salt
• Peppercorn – Freshly ground
• Some French mustard (be aware that they may contain additives and sulphites so use sparingly and only if you are not intolerant to one component)
• Quality oils such as
  • A delicious local extra virgin olive oil from the maker – Check around there is really good products from local producers
  • A good sesame oil, not rancid
  • Cold-pressed walnut oil, not rancid
  • Some hemp seed oil
• A-grade Balsamic vinegar, organic, non-processed Apple Cider Vinegar or lemon juice

Get ready

You don’t have to make your salad dressing on the go when you are tired and time-poor. All you have to do is to add all ingredients in a glass jar, mix them by shaking the jar and keep the jar in the fridge for a week or two.

Below are my favourite recipes from the traditional vinaigrette to the nutritionist minded tahini one 😀

Classic Vinaigrette

• 1 ½ tbsps red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp chopped shallots
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Combine vinegar, shallots, salt, Dijon mustard, and pepper • Gradually add olive oil, stirring until incorporated.

French dressing

• 1/4 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar or Apple Cider vinegar for added digestive effect
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper

Peel and finely chop garlic. Crush the garlic and add Dijon mustard, vinegar and olive oil into a jar with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put the lid on the jar and shake well.

Lemon Tahini dressing

• 1/4 cup unhulled tahini
• 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup water to thin

In a food processor, add all ingredients and process until smooth. Makes just under 1 cup.

Time to free your imagination to create your own. The sky is the limit!!