Food Healthy Cooking

This Simple Salad Dressing Fights Inflammation and Promotes Longevity With Just 6 Ingredients

Emily Laurence

October 31, 2020

Thumbnail for This Simple Salad Dressing Fights Inflammation and Promotes Longevity With Just 6 Ingredients

Pin It

Photo: Stocksy/Milos Ljubicic

Here in the States, we tend to complicate what it means to live well, always looking for something new and innovative to improve our well-being. But if we look at Blue Zones—regions in the world where people regularly live to be over 100 in good health—they tend to do the opposite. Instead, they live simply—including when it comes to how they eat.

As longevity expert and Blue Zones founder Dan Buettner often says, something people in the various Blue Zones around the world have in common is that their meals consist of whole foods and primarily plant-based ingredients. Beans, whole grains, and lots of vegetables are all cornerstones of Blue Zone eating.

If you're looking for a Blue Zones-approved dressing to add flavor to your meals, this simple lemon tahini herb sauce is not only versatile but works to make whatever you're pairing it with even healthier. In it are tahini, garlic, lemon juice, almond milk, dill, and sea salt. The dressing was crafted by Dean Sherzai, MD, and Ayesha Sherzai, MD, a husband and wife team and directors of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Program at Loma Linda University Medical Center. "We believe 90 percent of Alzheimer’s can be prevented through a healthy lifestyle," they told Dan Buettner in the past. "Data from many studies have repeatedly supported a whole-food, plant-based diet as being protective for brain health in general, and Alzheimer’s and stroke in particular."

Garlic (featured in their sauce) is a key ingredient for longevity because it's linked to lowering inflammation and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. It's also full of vitamins including vitamin B6, manganese, selenium, vitamin c, iron, potassium, and copper, which support cognitive health, boost the immune system, and work to keep blood sugar levels steady. Not coincidentally, it's one of the most popular herbs Greek centenarians eat for longevity.

Watch the video below to learn more about the health benefits of garlic:

All these benefits are too good to pass up, right? And as a bonus, it really only takes two minutes to make. Below is the recipe for this simple, Blue Zone-approved salad dressing:

Lemon tahini herb sauce

Yields 4 servings (about 1 cup)

Ingredients
1/2 cup tahini
1-2 garlic clove, minced
Juice of 1 small lemon
1/2 cup almond milk
2 Tbsp chopped dill
Sea salt to taste

1. Whisk all ingredients and serve. Keeps in the refrigerator for a week.

Get more healthy recipe ideas in Well+Good's Cook With Us Facebook group.

Oh hi! You look like someone who loves free workouts, discounts for cult-fave wellness brands, and exclusive Well+Good content. Sign up for Well+, our online community of wellness insiders, and unlock your rewards instantly.

Our editors independently select these products. Making a purchase through our links may earn Well+Good a commission.