By Seth Czarnecki, Nubella News

Picture this: A refreshing, leafy bed of greens, thinly sliced carrots and cucumbers, a sprinkling of sesame seeds, completed with six protein-packed pieces of grilled chicken. Sounds exceedingly tasty and amazingly nutritious, doesn't it? And it is--unless it's topped with the wrong dressing. You might be surprised to learn that many salad dressings are laden with excessive fat and calories, and they can reduce your once wholesome meal to a diet disaster. Here, we recount the 10 worst dressings that will spoil your salad.

1. Ranch. America's best-selling dressing is also the easiest way to ruin a salad. Loaded with calories (146) and fat (15 grams, 3 grams saturated) per two tablespoons, it's no wonder why you should shy away from drizzling it atop your lettuce.

2. Blue cheese. Blue cheese dressing is a quick way to ruin a healthy salad. The average brand contains 152 calories and 15.6 grams of fat making blue cheese a diet blunder. If you opt for the reduced-fat variety, it should only cost you 28 calories and 0.9g of fat per two tablespoons.

3. Thousand Island. Another cream-based, fat-laden topping, Thousand Island dressing, despite its name, will not help you obtain a beach body. What's more, this salad sauce will cost you 140 calories and 14 grams of fat.

4. House Italian. Most Italian dressings are relatively guiltless, and they usually will run 86 calories and 8.4 grams of fat. However, Ken's Steak House Italian packs a more punch than the rest. With 150 calories and 17 grams of fat (2.5 grams saturated), this Italian option isn't much better than its creamy cousin.

5. Creamy Italian. Speaking of unhealthy Italian dressings, Creamy Italian can be a real detriment to your diet. With more than 14 grams of fat per serving, you may want to opt to make your own with olive oil, vinegar, and a dash of Italian seasoning.

6. Creamy Caesar. Caesar may have once ruled Rome, but when it comes to salads, Caesar dressing is no winner. The average brand contains more than 165 calories and 18 grams of fat. What's even more surprising, some of the "light" brands still pack more than 12 grams of fat per two tablespoons.

7. House Russian. Often seen on the incredibly unhealthy Reuben sandwich, Russian dressing is also an easy way ruin an otherwise-healthy salad. This orange oversight can cost you in realm of 140 calories and 14.2 grams of fat.

8. French. France may be one of the fittest countries in the world, but French dressing is one of the worst salad additives around. Though it is technically vinaigrette, French dressing still has an overwhelming 14.2 grams of fat.

9. Honey Mustard. Honey mustard is another salad slip-up. Aside from having 130 calories and 11 grams of fat per two tablespoons, this dressing also contributes 11 grams of sugar. So next time you want something sweet on your salad, try a strawberry vinaigrette.

10. Balsamic Vinaigrette. Yes, the vinaigrette is usually a healthy choice. In most cases, two tablespoons will cost you no more than 50 calories and 5 grams of fat. However, look closely at the nutritional labels; some dressings offer far more. Mimi's Café Balsamic Vinaigrette issues a whopping 316 calories and 32 grams of fat per serving.

If you want a healthy choice when it comes to your salad, look for olive oil-based dressings. High in important omega-3 fats, low in saturated fat and calories, dressings such as oil and vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and most vinaigrettes are a good choice. But for the healthiest choice of all, squeeze a half of a lemon over your romaine to add a refreshing zest to your salad.