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Lydia Ramsey Pflanzer
Ranch vs. ketchup:It can sometimes be a tough call picking the right condiments to top your fries or burger.
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But which one will get you the most nutrition relative to the number of calories and fatit contains? We sought to find out whatcondiment ranked the best.
To compile this ranking, we tried to assess condiments you'd commonly find on the tables of a restaurant (not including salt, pepper, butter — more along the sauce variety), so apologies if your go-tois left off the list.
And to keep things comparable, we looked at everything in increments of one tablespoon (though, for some condiments that may be way too much or not even close to enough). We also went off the USDA's nutrition facts, unless a brand name was clearly identified,so there may be some variability between products.
Check out where your favorites ended up.
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No. 12. Mayonnaise
You knew this creamy, fat-filled goodness made out of egg yolks and oil couldn't go far up on the list. With 10 grams of fat, mayonnaise isn't the best choice of condiments.
Calories per tablespoon: 94
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No. 11. Ranch
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.
Calories per tablespoon: 73
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No. 10. Tartar sauce
The classic seafood condiment tartar sauce continues the trend thatcreamy sauces belong toward the bottom of the list. But, it has less than half the calories per tablespoon as ranch and one-quarter the fat content of mayonnaise.
Calories per tablespoon: 31
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No. 9: Relish
Pickle relish, a heartier condiment that's frequently associated with hot dogs, distinguishes itself from the pack with 4.4 grams of sugar pertablespoon. That, coupled with the 122 milligrams of sodium per tablespoon, relegates relish to No. 10.
Calories per tablespoon: 20
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No. 8. Barbecue sauce
Not far ahead is barbecue sauce, the sweetest on the list with 6 grams of sugar per tablespoon. Barbecue sauce does tend to have more potassium though, which bumps up its ranking.
Calories per tablespoon: 29
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No. 7. Sriracha
Sriracha gets its heat from chili peppers, which by themselves have very few calories. It has no fat, but it does have 3 grams of sugar per tablespoon.
Calories per tablespoon: 15
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No. 6. Ketchup
Ketchup, the staple of pretty much every restaurant's condiment selection, actually contains a small amount of potassium. Thoughat 54 mg per tablespoon (only 1% of daily intake), the potassium in ketchup isn't as much as you would get eating a tomato.
Calories per tablespoon: 19
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No. 5. Soy Sauce
A tablespoon of soy sauce contains a whopping 36% of your daily sodium intake, though it otherwise doesn't contain much nutritional value. Of the condiments on the list, soy sauce contains the most protein, at 1.3 grams per tablespoon.
Calories per tablespoon: 9
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No. 4. Dijon Mustard
Dijon mustard also packs a lot of sodium, at about 360 milligrams per tablespoon, which sets it back on the list. In addition tomustard seed and vinegar, Dijon mustard contains white wine, which sets it apart from standard yellow mustard.
Calories per tablespoon: 15
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No. 3. Pico de gallo
Pico de gallo, the simple fresh salsa, is composedof tomato, onion, spices, and lime juice, is low in calories and sodium, bumping it up to the No. 3 spot.
Calories per tablespoon: 5
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No. 2. Hot sauce
Believe it or not, Tabasco doesn't have any calories. All it has is peppers, salt, and vinegar, and because it's all in such small quantities, it rounds down to a clean zero. So feel free to pack on the spice, assuming you're a fan.
Calories per tablespoon: 0
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No. 1. Mustard
Yellow mustard, packed with spices like turmeric and paprika (not to mention mustard seeds) takes the cake in this ranking. It edges out over the zero-calorie Tabascoonly because of its slightly lower sodium content and small amount of potassium. Of those on the list, mustard had the lowest amount of sodium.
Calories per tablespoon: 7
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