Vegetable dip: it does not make preschoolers eat more vegetables

The popular idea is that a dip gets children to eat their vegetables. A meta-analysis of 30 studies with 4017 children aged 2 to 5 found the opposite: intake was greater when vegetables were offered plain than when they came paired with a dip, a flavor or added oil. The abstract gives no pooled size, and the studies mixed randomized and non-randomized designs. There is one group where dip seemed to help. In a classroom trial of 152 mostly Hispanic preschoolers served broccoli for 7 weeks, children who taste bitterness strongly ate 80 percent more broccoli with dressing than plain, and dip did nothing for the others. Beyond children, the numbers are about what is in the tub. A 15 g tablespoon of regular dip carries about 64 calories in US survey data, and light or yogurt based dips about 29 to 30.

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• A 70 g single-serve container of vegetable dip holds about 420 to 500 mg sodium, and the regular version about 7.6 g saturated fat. — US household measures, FNDDS (n = 3 food codes) Evidence E source
  Sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g): regular 713 mg, light 602 mg, yogurt based 641 mg (per 70 g: 499.1, 421.4, 448.7 mg); saturated fat per 3.5 oz (100 g): 10.889 g, 4.643 g, 3.232 g (per 70 g: 7.6, 3.3, 2.3 g)
• Yogurt based vegetable dip has about 8.2 g protein and 103 mg calcium per 3.5 oz (100 g), against 2.2 g and 68 mg in regular dip, while light dip carries the most carbohydrate at 13.6 g. — US household measures, FNDDS (n = 3 food codes) Evidence E source
  Protein per 3.5 oz (100 g): yogurt based 8.16 g, regular 2.23 g, light 2.04 g; calcium 103, 68, 79 mg; carbohydrate 3.76, 3.57, 13.6 g
• Under the US standard of identity, sour cream, the usual base of regular dips, must contain at least 18 percent milkfat. — US regulated food standard Evidence E source
  Minimum 18 percent milkfat, titratable acidity at least 0.5 percent as lactic acid

What a real portion looks like

• A tablespoon (15 g) of regular vegetable dip carries about 64 calories, while light and yogurt based dips carry about 29 to 30 calories in US survey data. — US household measures, FNDDS (n = 3 food codes) Evidence E source
  Energy per 3.5 oz (100 g): regular 429 calories, light 198 calories, yogurt based 191 calories; per tbsp 15 g: 64.3, 29.7, 28.6 calories; per container 70 g: 300.3, 138.6, 133.7 calories

What your body absorbs

• In a randomized crossover of 7 adults, carotenoid absorption from a mixed vegetable salad was essentially nil with fat-free dressing and rose stepwise with 6 g and 28 g canola oil. — 7 adults, spinach, romaine, cherry tomato and carrot salad with dressing of 0, 6 or 28 g canola oil, single meals 2 weeks apart (n = 7) Evidence B source
  Alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and lycopene in chylomicrons negligible at 0 g, higher at 6 g (P<0.04), higher again at 28 g (P<0.02)
• In 12 women eating salads with 0 to 32 g soybean oil, carotenoid and vitamin K absorption rose linearly with oil and peaked at 32 g, though some women barely responded. — 12 women, five vegetable salads with dressing of 0, 2, 4, 8 or 32 g soybean oil (n = 12) Evidence B source
  Linear rise in chylomicron AUC for alpha-carotene, lycopene, phylloquinone and retinyl palmitate over 0-32 g, beta-carotene over 0-8 g, highest absorption at 32 g (P<0.002)
• In 10 volunteers, eating 3.5 oz (100 g) grilled spinach with sour cream plus calcium-enriched milk cut the absorbed share of spinach oxalate over 6 and 24 hours. — 10 volunteers, 100 g grilled spinach alone or with 100 g cottage cheese, sour cream, or sour cream with 180 g Calci-Trim milk (n = 10) Evidence B source
  Soluble oxalate bioavailability 1.93% over 24 h with spinach alone, significantly lower with sour cream and Calci-Trim milk (P<0.05)

What people believe that the data does not support

• A meta-analysis of 30 studies with 4017 preschoolers found vegetable intake was greater when vegetables were offered plain than paired with a dip, flavor or added energy. — 4017 children aged 2-5 years, 30 articles, 44 intervention arms, 2005-2016 (n = 4017) Evidence B source
  Repeated taste exposure had better pooled effects; plain vegetables outperformed dip or flavor pairing (pooled estimate not given in abstract)

Who this works differently for

• Among 152 preschoolers served broccoli for 7 weeks, bitter-sensitive children ate 80% more broccoli with dressing than plain, while dip did not help bitter-insensitive children. — 152 mostly Hispanic preschoolers in Head Start classrooms, broccoli twice weekly for 7 weeks, classrooms randomized to four dip conditions (n = 152) Evidence B source
  Bitter-sensitive children ate 80% more broccoli with dressing than plain (P<0.001), no effect in bitter-insensitive children

The bottom line

Salt is where the versions barely differ. A 70 g single-serve container holds about 499 mg of sodium for regular dip, 421 mg for light and 449 mg for yogurt based. Regular dip carries about 7.6 g of saturated fat in that container, against 3.3 g for light and 2.3 g for yogurt based. These are recipe-based survey entries, and commercial brands vary. Light dip has the most carbohydrate at 13.6 g per 3.5 oz (100 g), while yogurt based dip has about 8.2 g of protein and 103 mg of calcium per 3.5 oz (100 g). Regular dips are usually built on sour cream, which under the US standard must contain at least 18 percent milkfat. Some fat with raw vegetables does help you absorb their carotenoids, though these trials used salad dressing, not dip. In a randomized crossover of 7 adults, carotenoid absorption from a mixed salad was essentially nil with fat-free dressing and rose with 6 g and again with 0.99 oz (28 g) of canola oil. In 12 women, carotenoid and vitamin K absorption rose with soybean oil up to 32 g, and some women barely responded. In 10 volunteers eating 3.5 oz (100 g) of grilled spinach, sour cream together with calcium-enriched milk cut the share of spinach oxalate absorbed. That effect was shown for the combination, not for sour cream alone. We found no card on allergy, pregnancy, drug interactions or other safety limits for vegetable dip, so this page has no caution section. Regular dips are built on sour cream and the yogurt based version on yogurt, both dairy, which matters if you avoid milk. Check the label of any bought dip.

Sources

1. vdip-r3-02 · reference dataset
   FNDDS 2705627 Vegetable dip, regular: Sodium, Na 713 mg/100 g, 70 g 499.1 mg; Fatty acids, total saturated 10.889 g/100 g, 70 g 7.6 g · FNDDS 2705628 Vegetable dip, light: Sodium 602 mg/100 g, 70 g 421.4 mg; saturated 4.643 g/100 g, 70 g 3.3 g · FNDDS 2705449 Vegetable dip, yogurt based: Sodium 641 mg/100 g, 70 g 448.7 mg; saturated 3.232 g/100 g, 70 g 2.3 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023 · checked 2026-09-29
2. vdip-r3-03 · reference dataset
   FNDDS 2705449 Vegetable dip, yogurt based: Protein 8.16 g/100 g, Calcium, Ca 103 mg/100 g, Carbohydrate 3.76 g/100 g · FNDDS 2705627 Vegetable dip, regular: Protein 2.23 g, Calcium 68 mg, Carbohydrate 3.57 g · FNDDS 2705628 Vegetable dip, light: Protein 2.04 g, Calcium 79 mg, Carbohydrate 13.6 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023 · checked 2026-09-29
3. vdip-r3-04 · regulation
   Sour cream contains not less than 18 percent milkfat
   21 CFR 131.160, Sour cream (FDA) · checked 2026-09-29
4. vdip-r3-01 · reference dataset
   FNDDS 2705627 Vegetable dip, regular: Energy 429 kcal/100 g, 1 tablespoon 15 g 64.3 kcal, 1 individual container 70 g 300.3 kcal · FNDDS 2705628 Vegetable dip, light: 198 kcal/100 g, 15 g 29.7 kcal, 70 g 138.6 kcal · FNDDS 2705449 Vegetable dip, yogurt based: 191 kcal/100 g, 15 g 28.6 kcal, 70 g 133.7 kcal
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023 · checked 2026-09-29
5. vdip-r3-05 · randomized crossover trial
   Essentially no absorption of carotenoids was observed when salads with fat-free salad dressing were consumed. A substantially greater absorption of carotenoids was observed when salads were consumed with full-fat than with reduced-fat salad dressing.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2004 · checked 2026-09-29
6. vdip-r3-06 · randomized crossover trial
   Absorption of all carotenoids and fat-soluble vitamins was highest with 32 g oil (P < 0.002).
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2017 · checked 2026-09-29
7. vdip-r3-07 · randomized crossover trial
   Addition of sour cream and Calci-Trim milk reduced the availability of the oxalate in the spinach significantly (P<0.05) in both the 6-hour and 24-hour collection periods.
   Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, 2003 · checked 2026-09-29
8. vdip-r3-09 · meta-analysis
   Intake increased with number of taste exposures and intake was greater when vegetables offered were in their plain form rather than paired with a flavor, dip or added energy (e.g. oil).
   Appetite, 2018 · checked 2026-09-29
9. vdip-r3-08 · cluster-randomized trial
   Bitter-sensitive children, however, ate 80% more broccoli with dressing than when served plain (P<0.001); effects did vary based on whether regular or light dressing was provided as a dip or sauce. Dip did not promote broccoli intake among bitter-insensitive children.
   J Acad Nutr Diet, 2012 · checked 2026-09-29