Litehouse was the name of the restaurant owned by the Hawkins family on Lake Pend Oreille in the small tourist town of Hope, Idaho from 1958 until 1985. The Litehouse Restaurant was well known for unsurpassed views, great food and it’s famous salad bar serving the original Bleu Cheese Salad Dressing. When the first jars were bottled and sold in a local grocery store in 1963 under the Litehouse name, nobody had heard of “lite” products. The salad dressing industry first introduced ‘lite and fat free” products in the late 1980’s.
Litehouse products above 10 ppm in sulfites are: Raspberry Vinaigrette, Huckleberry Vinaigrette and Cranberry Vinaigrette. This comes from high use of red wine vinegar. All other Litehouse products are free of sulfites (a finished goods level below 10 ppm), which are used in many products to reduce discoloration and inhibit growth of microorganisms. The FDA estimates one out of a hundred people is sulfite-sensitive, and five percent of those also suffer from asthma.
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer that has been manufactured for nearly 100 years. It is often used as a controversial food additive. Technically it is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, a naturally occurring amino acid which is produced in small quantities by the human body. Litehouse chooses not to enhance our all natural products with this controversial ingredient.
Litehouse chooses to rely on refrigeration, natural acidifiers, quality raw ingredients and good manufacturing practices to maintain a safe product for our customers without the use of potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate.
Water soluble gums are derived from a variety of botanical sources including seeds (guar), seaweed by extraction (carrageenan) and beet sugar fermentation (xanthan). Gums are used as stabilizers, thickeners and bulking agents. They improve mouth feel, appearance and pourability, extend shelf life and build viscosity.
The date on our packaging is a best by date. This date indicates that Litehouse guarantees the quality up to this date. After that date there could be some deterioration of quality. It is used for a guideline for our customers to receive a fresh quality product.
Litehouse Freeze-dried herbs are used 1:1. One teaspoon fresh equals one teaspoon freeze-dried . Litehouse Freeze-dried herbs rehydrate instantly. Do not refrigerate upon opening.
Canola oil is one of the richest sources of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. The #1 cause of death in the U.S. is heart disease. To reduce the risk of heart disease, the American Heart Association recommends reducing saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, and making dietary choices that lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, and increase HDL (good) cholesterol. The American Heart Association recommends including canola oil as part of a heart healthy diet. Litehouse uses canola oil exclusively as the basis for its regular and lite refrigerated dressings
Monounsaturated fat from canola oil increases HDL (good) cholesterol; low HDL cholesterol is considered a risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
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Monounsaturated fat from Canola oil, does not increase LDL (bad) cholesterol High LDL (bad) cholesterol increases risk for heart attack and stroke, especially when HDL (good) cholesterol is low.
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Monounsaturated fats improve blood cholesterol in people with diabetes, who have more than double the risk of having a heart attack and stroke.
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Monounsaturated fats may help reduce the formation of blood clots, thus reducing risk for heart attack and stroke.
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Monounsaturated fats may help to dissolve blood clots if they do form. The American Heart Association recommends replacing saturated fat with monounsaturated fat in the diet
Canola oil is one of the few plant foods containing a significant amount (at least 10%) of omega-3 fats.
Omega-3 fats have been shown to:
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Decrease risk of sudden death and arrhythmia
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Decrease triglycerides; (elevated triglycerides are a risk factor for heart attack and stroke).
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Decrease growth of atherosclerotic plaque, (artery-clogging substance). Improve arterial health.
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Lower blood pressure (significant for reducing risk of heart attack and stroke).
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The American Heart Association recommends increasing dietary sources of * omega-3 fats from plant (canola) and animal (fish and fish oil) sources.
The hottest health claim of the year has always been a standard at Litehouse. Litehouse uses 100% Canola Oil, which has 0g trans fats. The USDA has determined a diet low in trans fat, saturated fat and cholesterol may help reduce the risk of heart disease. Labeling laws require trans fat be added to the nutritional facts panel in 2006.
OTHER POINTS OF DIFFERENTIATION
Salad dressings such as Kraft and Maries contain and primarily use soybean oil, which contains significantly less monounsaturated fat, and more than twice the saturated fat of canola oil.
