How Healthy are Your Favorite Condiments? Let’s Find Out

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Condiments can make bland or boring foods, taste better! But did you know that they can also turn a healthy and nutritious meal into a potentially harmful one.

How?

Small, frequent doses of potentially harmful ingredients can build up and have a cumulative biological effect. Scientific evidence proves that more significant health effects may occur at small doses than high, most specifically for hormone-disrupting chemicals.

Condiments are typically overlooked and brushed off as harmless because it is eaten in such small servings, that their effects seem negligible.

How Healthy are Your Favorite Condiments? Let’s Find Out

 

1. Ketchup

Ketchup is fairly healthy, it is made of tomatoes, vinegar, salt, spices and pepper. The problem lies in the mass-produced versions which are loaded with sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, salt, preservatives and chemicals.

Also the main nutritional concern for ketchup lies in what you are putting it on. It is mainly used in fries, hotdogs, burgers, etc. You can opt to create your own healthy version with this quick recipe.

Re lated article: How to Make Healthy Ketchup in Exactly 2 Minutes

2. Salsa

Salsa is most probably the best condiment you can add into your meal because it is packed with nutrients. It is made with tomatoes, garlic, onions and other ingredients.

It contains 5 calories per tablespoon and its ingredients are packed with micronutrients, like vitamin C and powerful phytochemicals. These are beneficial to the body as they help absorb nutrients from whichever food you are pairing it with.

Related article: Easy To Prepare Lacto-Fermented Salsa to Keep Your Gut Healthy

3. Mayonnaise

Commercially manufactured mayonnaise is loaded with fats and not the kind of fats that will benefit you. It contains GMO soybean oil, that are mostly found in processed foods.

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It is made with eggs, salt, oil, sugar, starch, vinegar and other preservatives and flavorings. Though it contains vitamins A, E, D and K, it has high amount of fat and calories. A better option is to use mashed avocado, which is loaded with healthy fats and just 24 calories per tablespoon.

4. Hot Sauce

Hot sauce contains chili peppers, garlic, vinegar and sugar. Chile peppers contains capsaicin, a compound that reduces levels of hunger causing ghrelin and also raises GLP-1, an appetite-suppressing hormone.

Hot peppers can help boost your metabolism and help curbs your appetite. But remember that it also contains sugar, sodium and preservatives, so don’t use it in abandon.

5. Mustard

Mustard are made from ground mustard seeds,, vinegar, salt, sugar, water, lemon juice and spices. One important spice is turmeric, which contains anti-inflammatory properties. Also the mustard seeds contain nutrients or phytonutrients, that help fight cancer and antioxidants that help in boosting immunity.

6. Soy Sauce

Soy sauce is made from a combination of fermented soybeans and wheat. A tablespoon of regular soy sauce may only have a total of 10 calories, but it also has got 1,000 milligrams of sodium. While its low-sodium version has 575 milligrams of sodium in a tablespoon. The recommended daily allowance for sodium is 2,500 milligrams.

Remember to consume it in moderation. And an important thing to remember, is that it also contains gluten, for those who are gluten intolerant and suffering from celiac disease.

7. Hummus

Hummus are made from garbanzo beans, sesame paste and squeezed lemons. It is high in calories, but is also nutritionally dense and has 3.5 grams of protein per 1/4 cup.

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