I don’t think it will come as a surprise that I eat salad. A lot.

Like a lot, a lot.

So now picture me in the health food section of my local supermarket, skipping merrily (and cluelessly) through the store aisles, humming some crunchy-granola-new-agey-kumbaya song that my homeschooled kids taught me, sometimes buying the supposedly healthy salad dressings, sometimes buying canola oil to make my own salad dressing at home.

THEN picture me reading Deep Nutrition, getting a better understanding at how completely terrible vegetable oils are for us and thinking, phew! Good thing I don’t buy vegetable oil!

Now picture me taking a closer look at the ingredient label of the so called “healthier” salad dressings in my fridge.

Do you see what I see? Are you seeing red like I am?

Here, look again.

NOW do you see red? Vegetable oil is the first ingredient people. THE FIRST INGREDIENT!

OK. It’s going to be OK. Let’s not panic. Let’s not getting get our organically grown cotton panties in a bunch just yet. We have options. We can make our own salad dressing at home, it’s OK.

Oh wait, I already do that.

OH WAIT, I use canola oil when I make my own salad dressing at home.

OH WAIT, canola oil is just as bad for us too!

Alright, let’s go everybody! Time to head out and pitch ourselves over the side of a ravine!

Oh right, we’re not going to panic. We’re not going to get upset about this. We’re just going to make floor cleaner (for crying out loud) with our old dressing ingredients and get on with our salad making day.

Are you smiling? I’m smiling. You can barely even tell I’m cursing through my gritted teeth.

So here we go, this is what I’m dressing my salads up in these days.

There’s even controversy surrounding olive oil, but we’re not going to talk about that.

Please don’t tell me about the crimes against humanity the people of Kraft foods may or may not have committed or that their mustard seeds are a fake. Please just pass the Grey Poupon.

At least the first ingredient is WATER! Three cheers for being able to say the rest of the ingredient list without needing to pinch our tongues between our forefingers and thumbs to get the pronunciation right.

A dollop of Dijon mustard, a splash of olive oil and another splash of balsamic, a little salt, pepper and some garlic powder too.

Greens and vegetables piled into the bowl,

stirred up and topped with all the usual lunch time salad suspects.

Carrots, red pepper, hard boiled egg (and hemp seeds that I remembered to add after the foodie photo shoot was over).

I’m really into this combo of ingredients for salad dressing right now, and I especially like that all of these ingredients are considered good for us.

For now, anyway.

Chew your salad slowly, take deep breaths and try to stay present. We’re eating salad. We’re in our happy place. Life is good. Salad dressing made with vegetable oil is not.