Small changes your health will thank you for!
Condiments can significantly impact your meal's healthiness. Even seemingly innocuous salad dressings can pack excessive salt and saturated fats. But while our evolutionary instincts drive us to crave high-energy foods, we now have abundant food options. The challenge? A hint of condiment can quickly turn into a heavy pour!
Yet you can still enjoy condiments while making healthier choices. Discover the best and worst options in this gallery:
- Mayonnaise - Registered dietitian Asvini Mashru from Wellness Nutrition Concepts asserts, "With processed refined soybean oil as the primary ingredient in most mayonnaise products, there's nothing healthy about mayonnaise."
- Olive oil - While mayo is generally not considered a healthy option, you can improve its healthiness by making sure it's prepared with olive oil instead of soybean oil.
- Ketchup - This particular condiment is a health nightmare, essentially pure sugar. According to Monica Auslander, a registered dietitian and founder of Essence Nutrition, just one teaspoon of it is equivalent to consuming an entire packet of sugar.
- Tomato relish - Consider trying tomato relish as an alternative. It's surprisingly easy to prepare at home, it contains much less sugar, and you can also find it available for purchase.
- Honey mustard - Mixing mustard and honey may sound tasty, but it packs quite a punch when it comes to both salt and sugar. In reality, honey is pretty much just sugar in disguise!
- Hummus - If you're thinking of swapping out honey mustard as a sandwich spread, then hummus could be a great choice.
- Fat-free dressing - Don't get tricked: most fat-free salad dressings are loaded with added sugar
- Greek yogurt - Opt for full-fat Greek yogurt as a substitute; it does the job perfectly. It's creamy, packed with healthy fats, and generally low in sugar.
- Hoisin sauce - The Chinese variation of American BBQ sauce offers a delightful combination of sweetness and saltiness, but it's essentially a sugar explosion.
- Oyster sauce - Danielle Flug Capalino, a registered dietitian in New York City, says, “Oyster sauce, another staple Chinese flavor, is also sweet but has half the sugar as hoisin sauce."
- Ranch dressing - "Salads are healthy, so we are quick to ignore the nutritional value of the dressing we drizzle over them.”
- Tahini - Consider switching to tahini, a Middle Eastern condiment crafted from toasted ground hulled sesame seeds. While it's rich in fat, it's the good kind: unsaturated fat.
- Hot sauce - Hot sauces can be loaded with salt. If you're not limiting yourself to just a teaspoon, consider using chili flakes or real chili pepper to add spice to your food. You can do this after cooking.
- Soy sauce - It's a breeze to get carried away with soy sauce. It's like a flavor party for our taste buds, what with all that salt and sugar.
- Coconut amino acids - Consider replacing soy sauce with coconut amino acids. They offer the same salty, savory taste you love but are derived from fermented coconut palm sap and sea salt, making them a nutritious alternative.
- Sour cream - “Avoid the artery-clogging version of saturated fat by swapping it out for Greek yogurt,” says Tody Amidor, a registered dietitian and author of 'The Greek Yogurt Kitchen.'
- Guacamole - Avocados can transform into guacamole in a snap! Creamy and healthful, just the way you want it.
- Chocolate syrup - No matter how dark the chocolate syrup seems, it's usually packed with sugar, often in the form of high fructose corn syrup. It's better to avoid it, or at least save it for occasional treats rather than daily consumption.
- 70% chocolate - Edwina Clark, a registered dietitian and head of Nutrition and Wellness at Yummly, says: "If you’re desperate for chocolate, skip the imposters." Clark recommends 70% chocolate.
- Queso - When it comes to dips, this one leans on the unhealthy side. It's packed with sugar, salt, and unsaturated fats.
- The real thing - Feta cheese carries a notable saltiness, but you can reduce it significantly by soaking it. Afterwards, you can crumble it over your nachos.
- Meat-based gravy - Heather D’Eliso Gordon, a Kaiser Permanente registered dietitian, says meat-based gravy is high in "saturated fat, cholesterol, and refined carbs.”
- Gravy alternative - There's a wide variety of gravy mixes available, and you can also prepare them using fresh vegetarian ingredients.
- BBQ sauce - The salt in BBQ sauce isn't your heart's best friend, that's for sure!
- Try a rub instead - Consider preparing a rub by checking out one of the numerous online recipes. This allows you to monitor the ingredients going into your food.
- Blue cheese sauce - When it comes to meat or nutritious salads, there's no need to pile on spoonfuls of unnecessary fat and salt when we can opt for a healthier alternative instead.
- Healthy alternative - How about swapping it out for a blend of Greek yogurt, white vinegar, fresh lemon, garlic, salt, and pepper?
- Duck sauce - The sauce you pour over duck is typically made primarily with apricots, and there's often nothing really off about it. However, “it’s pretty easy to create your version without the sugar,” says Amy Isabella Chalker, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Santa Barbara, California.
- Hollandaise sauce - Hollandaise sauce is rich in butter and egg yolks, making it high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Healthier alternatives include trying a Greek yogurt-based hollandaise sauce or opting for a lighter version that uses a small amount of olive oil and egg whites.
- Creamy peanut sauce - This sauce can be calorie-dense and high in added sugars. A healthier alternative to traditional peanut sauce involves making your own sauce with natural peanut butter, lime juice, and low-sodium soy sauce.
- Pickle relish - Pickle relish often contains high fructose corn syrup and artificial colors. When seeking healthier alternatives, consider making your own relish using diced pickles, onions, and mustard.
- Chutney - Chalker recommends making “a chutney-like mix of apricot, vinegar, spices, ginger, and a bit of raw unfiltered honey" for a "healthier version with even more freshness and flavor.”
