More information about ranch dressing By Jennifer LaRue Huget Special to The Washington Post Tuesday, March 8, 2011; 4:09 PM Did you know? The original, handmade batches of buttermilk dressing were made in the mid-1950s by Steve Henson at his Hidden Valley Ranch near Santa Barbara, Calif. Buttermilk is now the sixth ingredient in the Hidden Valley full-fat dressing, after soybean oil, water, egg yolk, sugar and salt; it's third on the light variety's ingredient list, which starts with water. Alternatives to ranch for kids The dip-it-in-ranch approach is in keeping with a controversial notion that adults should do whatever they can to get vegetables into kids' mouths, even if that means disguising the food or masking its taste. Like ranch, these dips have a bit of sodium. Try alternating them with ranch if you don't want to make your kid go cold turkey. Nutrition facts are per 2 tablespoon serving. Tostitos Chunky Salsa 10 calories 0 grams fat 250 mg sodium Tribe Hummus 50 calories 3 1/2 grams of fat 130 mg sodium Newman's Own Light Honey Mustard 70 calories 4 grams fat 280 mg sodium What's in a serving? A serving of dressing is two tablespoons. When's the last time you limited yourself to just that amount? As with many processed foods, it's a trade-off between fat and sodium. Hidden Valley Ranch 140 calories 14 grams fat 260 mg sodium Kraft Ranch 130 calories 13 grams fat 370 mg sodium Hidden Valley Ranch Light 80 calories 7 grams fat 290 mg sodium Kraft Light Ranch 6 grams fat 440 mg sodium More on nutrition: Visit the Checkup blog at voices.washingtonpost.com/checkup, follow @jhuget on Twitter and subscribe to the Lean & Fit newsletter by going to washingtonpost.com/wellness.