From ketchup to brown sauce, soy sauce to pesto,we love adding flavour to our food. But there can behidden health hazards, as Hannah Forster explains.
If you love food that’s full of flavour, you may findyourself adding condiments or sauces to give mealsan extra kick. But ready-made sauces can containa surprising amount of fat, sugar and salt. Over time,consuming too much of these can damage yourhealth. Checking out the nutrition label will reveal thetruth about your favourite sauce – but don’t fear, thereare healthier options available.
Tomato ketchup
There’s 0.3g of salt and 4.1g(one teaspoon) of sugar in atablespoon of ketchup. Therecommended daily maximum offree sugars is 30g (about seventeaspoons), so go for reduced-sugarversions, which containup to 50 per cent less. Or makea salsa with chopped tomatoes,red onion, coriander, lime juiceand optional chilli. This is a tastyketchup swap, especially with abarbecue or in a sandwich.
Mayonnaise
Each tablespoon ofmayonnaise contains around104kcal and 11.3g of fat –a significant chunk of therecommended daily intake of70g. Swapping to one of thereduced-fat options availablewould save you 61kcal and7.1g of fat. Or make your ownlighter version by mixing asmall amount of mayonnaisewith some low-fat yoghurt. Formany dishes, like potato salador coleslaw, low-fat yoghurt onits own or mixed with lemonjuice and chopped herbs worksjust as well as mayonnaise.
- Try our roasted pepper mayo recipe.
Soy sauce
There’s a lot of salt in soysauce – around 2.75g pertablespoon, which is almosthalf the recommended 6g dailymaximum. Even reduced-saltversions can contain morethan 2g of salt per tablespoonso should be used sparingly.Consuming too much salt overtime is linked to high bloodpressure, so measure out theamount you use with a spoonrather than splashing it straightfrom the bottle.
Sweet chilli sauce
As its name implies, sweetchilli sauce is packed withsugar – around two teaspoonsper tablespoon of sauce. Makeyour own by blending togethera deseeded red chilli, twochopped red peppers, 1cmfresh grated ginger, four dates(stones removed), the juice ofone lime and a generous pinchof black pepper.
For loads offlavour without the sugar, tryhot chilli sauce instead.
Mustard
This is one of the healthiersauces, as it’s relatively low infat and sugar, although notalways low in salt. Mustardpowder made up with wateris the lowest-salt option – a2g portion is virtually salt-free.Ready-mixed versions containmore salt – one teaspoon ofEnglish mustard from a jarcontains 0.43g of salt. Oneteaspoon of wholegrainmustard contains 0.26g of salt.While these are relatively highin salt, their strong flavourmeans you’re likely to use less ofthem than other sauces. Checknutrition labels, as some brandscontain more salt than others.
Pesto
One tablespoon of pestocontains around 103kcaland 9.5g of fat. Reduced-fatversions are a better choicewhere available. Or combinefresh chopped basil leaveswith olive oil to get the flavourof pesto. It will still be highin fat, but lower in saturatedfat and salt.
Brown sauce
There is around 3.5g (nearly ateaspoon) of sugar and 0.2gof salt in each tablespoon ofbrown sauce. A reduced-saltand reduced-sugar version isa healthier choice, containingaround 2.3g of sugar and 0.1gof salt per tablespoon.
- Watch our animation explaining why too much salt is bad for you.
- Take our quiz - How much sugar, salt and fat are in your sauces?
Cooking sauces
Ready-made sauces come in infinitevarieties for curries, pasta, stir-fries andmore. Whatever the dish, tomato-basedsauces are healthier than creamy ones,as they’re usually lower in saturated fatand calories. Instead of a creamy korma,go for a balti or jalfrezi.
With pasta,choose arrabbiata or bolognese insteadof carbonara or cheese-based sauces. Swapping a 75g portion of carbonara saucefor a tomato-based sauce will save around63kcal, 7g of fat and 4.8g of saturated fat.Always check the labels of ready-madesauces, as brands vary. Reduced-fat optionsare not always lower in salt or sugar.Don’t feel restricted by instructionson the jar – adding extra vegetables orpulses will help towards your 5-a-day.Add a tin of chopped tomatoes to a jar oftomato-based sauce to make it go furtherand dilute the salt content.
The best option is to make your ownsauces so you can control what goes intothem. Try using chopped tomatoes, garlicand herbs to make your own pasta sauce.For creamy sauces, use low-fat yoghurtor half-fat crème fraiche – add it at theend of cooking for best results. Cook a bigbatch of a tomato-based sauce and freezein portions to save time and money.
FAQs
But ready-made sauces can contain a surprising amount of fat, sugar and salt. Over time, consuming too much of these can damage your health. Checking out the nutrition label will reveal the truth about your favourite sauce – but don't fear, there are healthier options available.
What is the unhealthiest condiment? ›
6 of the worst condiments to stop topping your food with: Mayo, ketchup & more
- Mayonnaise. Mayonnaise can make a tasty spread, whether you're putting it on a chicken sandwich or adding it to salad dressing. ...
- Ketchup. ...
- BBQ sauce. ...
- Ranch dressing. ...
- Soy sauce. ...
- Sour cream.
NUTRITION INFORMATION
| Average Quantity per Serving | Average Quantity per 100 g |
|---|
| - saturated | <0.1g | <0.1g |
| CARBOHYDRATE | 3.9g | 26.1 g |
| - sugars | 3.7g | 24.8 g |
| SODIUM | 124mg | 828 mg |
3 more rowsSalt and sugar are the most directly used condiments and are the basic ingredients for most condiments in the world, since they enhance flavor, food safety, and storage quality.
What is the healthiest sauce? ›
What is the healthiest condiment?
- Guacamole.
- Mustard.
- Balsamic Vinegar.
- Salsa.
- Hot sauce.
- Tzatziki.
- Hummus.
- Pesto.
Tomato salsa is a staple and must-have in the kitchen. You can toss this on top of anything. When it comes to flavorful, low-calorie sauces, you can't go wrong with tomato salsa. This classic condiment only has five calories per tablespoon, making it an ideal accompaniment for tacos, burritos, and more.
What is worse for you, ranch or mayo? ›
As tempting as it may be to dip your veggies (or fried cheese curds) in ranch, it just barely does better than its cousin, mayonnaise. At 8 grams of fat per tablespoon, you may be better off skipping the dip.
What's worse for you, ketchup or mayo? ›
Compared with its competitor mayonnaise, ketchup has no fat and far fewer calories per tablespoon (mayo contains 103 calories, 12 grams fat). This makes it a healthier choice for those trying to cut out added calories. Processed and cooked tomatoes were also found to have high levels of the antioxidant lycopene.
Which spaghetti sauce has the most sugar? ›
Bertolli's Tomato&Basil Sauce has the highest total sugar content of any sauce on our list, with 11 grams. The nutrition label doesn't specify how many grams are from added sources, but we know it contains some added sugars because we see sugar itself on the ingredients list.
Do chefs put sugar in spaghetti sauce? ›
However, there is a massive difference between using jarred sauce and making tomato sauce at home, and when it comes to the latter, you'd be surprised how many chefs favor a pinch of sugar in the mix. Bobby Flay has been known to add a pinch of sugar to his tomato sauce, as noted in Food & Wine.
It's fairly high in sugar.
1 tablespoon of ketchup could contain 7% or more of your DV of sugar. If you love ketchup and have 4–5 Tablespoons with a single meal, you could consume 35% or more of the DV for sugar from the ketchup alone ( 1 ).
What is the #1 condiment? ›
That's right—mayonnaise! According to sales figures, the creamy sandwich spread regularly accounts for more than $2 billion in annual revenue. Many consider mayo to be the top condiment in the U.S. What's the top condiment worldwide?
What is mustard and ketchup mixed together called? ›
MustKetch® is so much more than just Mustard and Ketchup. Discover new food pairings and unlock the unlimited potential of your two favorite condiments!
Is mustard healthier than mayonnaise? ›
Mayonnaise is perfect for making a tangy potato salad, or you can use it to create an extra special grilled cheese. It has also become a popular ingredient in cakes, due to its high fat content. On the other hand, since mustard is much lower in calories and fat, it can be a great alternative to mayonnaise.
Is eating sauce fattening? ›
And such popular condiments as creamy dressings and sauces are made from dairy products and contain saturated fats. The USDA encourages keeping to a healthy body weight by limiting calories from saturated fats in your diet.
Are sauces bad for weight loss? ›
Mustard, hot sauce, salsa, apple cider vinegar, Greek yogurt, sauerkraut and nutritional yeast are excellent, healthy condiments that provide flavor without sabotaging your progress. Limit high-calorie condiments like mayonnaise, BBQ sauce and ranch dressing.
Are dipping sauces bad for you? ›
Sadly dipping sauces can often account for a huge majority of the calories from a meal. Most store bought or restaurant prepared dips and sauces have a lot of added fat, sugar and other unnecessary ingredients that can add excess calories to your meal.
Are sauces high in calories? ›
Generally high in fat thanks to the addition of oil, butter and other animal fats, foods in this category are often calorie dense. Opting for a water or milk base, however, can help to reduce the calorie count.
Mayonnaise
Soy sauce
Sweet chilli sauce
Mustard
Pesto
Brown sauce