[StephN]

Starting new thread as this is a bit different than cooking and eating ideas. This makes SO much sense as I know most vitamins are fat soluble and we must eat something when we take them to derive the benefit. We often make our own dressing - NOT fat free!

•Dress Your Veggies

Fat-free dressing may not be the most nutritious choice for your salads. A bit of healthy fat can help raw veggies pack a more powerful nutrient punch, according to research. In a new study, people who ate salads with dressings that had some fat in them absorbed more carotenoids from the vegetables compared to people who used non-fat dressing. Carotenoids are a family of potent antioxidants.
Carotenoids protect against cancer and give fruits and veggies their bright red, orange, and yellow hues. Carotenoids are fat-soluble, which means they require fat in order to be absorbed in the small intestine. Remember, however, that fat is high in calories, so use fat-containing products such as salad dressing in moderation. Also, choose salad dressings with healthy fats, such as olive oil or canola oil, which are unsaturated and have a favorable effect on blood cholesterol levels. In a study, people who consumed salads with equal amounts of spinach, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and carrots absorbed more alpha carotene, beta carotene, and lycopene from the salads when they used fat-containing salad dressing.