If you’ve shifted to eating salads as often as you can, we salute you. Unfortunately, that effort to eat healthfully can derail your cholesterol levels if you add certain high-fat toppers like ranch or blue cheese dressing, bacon bits, cheese, meats, and croutons. “If you’re not paying attention, you can be sitting down to eat a fairly unhealthy salad without even realizing it,” Dr. Andrus says. Instead stick to simple DIY dressings, like vinaigrette made with red vinegar and olive oil.