Condiments that are terrible for your health (and what to replace them with)
Condiments can make or break a healthy meal. You might not think that since you’re eating salads that you are still loading your body with excess salt and saturated fats just based on the dressing, but you are! We’re programmed to crave high-energy foods for survival, but thousands of years on we have dominated the food chain and most of us can eat ourselves silly. The problem is that a dash of something usually becomes a dollop, which then becomes half a bottle…
You can still enjoy food, and you can still enjoy condiments, of course. But if you want to discover the ones that are the healthiest (and worst) to be eating, click through this gallery.
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Mayonnaise
“With processed refined soybean oil as the main ingredient in most mayo’s, there’s nothing healthy about mayonnaise,” says registered dietitian Asvini Mashru of Wellness Nutrition Concepts.
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Olive oil
Even though mayo is not healthy in general, you can make it healthier by ensuring it’s made with olive oil and not soybean oil.
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Ketchup
This one is a nightmare for your health. It’s essentially just sugar. According to Monica Auslander, a registered dietitian and founder of Essence Nutrition, one teaspoon is the equivalent of eating a sugar packet.
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Tomato relish
Try tomato relish instead. It’s actually super easy to make, and you can buy it, too. It’s usually a lot lower in sugar.
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Honey mustard
Mustard and honey means a lot of salt and a lot of sugar. Indeed, honey is mostly sugar.
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Hummus
If you’re considering replacing honey mustard in a spread for sandwiches, then hummus might be a good option.
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Fat-free dressing
These kinds of dressings usually fool people by being deceptively sweet. “Most fat-free salad dressings are simply loaded with extra sugar,” states Mashru.
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Greek yogurt
Full-fat Greek yogurt should do the trick as a replacement. It’s creamy, full of healthy fat, and low in sugar (usually).
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Hoisin sauce
The Chinese version of American BBQ sauce is sweet and salty, but it’s a sugar bomb.
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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.”
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Ranch dressing
“Salads are healthy, so we are quick to ignore the nutritional value of the dressing we drizzle over them,” says Capalino.
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Tahini
Try replacement tahini, a Middle Eastern condiment made from toasted ground hulled sesame. Although it’s high in fat, it’s good unsaturated fat.
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Hot sauce
Hot sauces can be packed with salt. That’s fine if you’re only having a teaspoon, but are you?
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The real thing
Why not ad chili flakes to your food to make it spicier? This can be done afterward. You can also add real chili pepper.
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Soy sauce
It’s very easy to go overboard on soy sauce. According to Auslander, the salt and sugar density in it drives our taste buds crazy.
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Coconut amino acids
Coconut amino acids is a healthier alternative to soy sauce. It’s a salty, savory seasoning sauce made from the fermented sap of coconut palm and sea salt.
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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.’
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Guacamole
Avocados can be turned into guacamole so quickly that it should really be a crime! It’s creamy and nutritious in the right way.
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Chocolate syrup
No matter how dark the chocolate is in chocolate syrup, it will be pumped full of sugar. Usually it’s made mostly with high fructose corn syrup. You’re best off avoiding it (or at least treat yourself on occasion rather than daily).
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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.
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Queso
As dips go, this one is definitely on the unhealthy side. It’s full of sugar, salt, and unsaturated fats.
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The real thing
There’s a strong saltiness to feta cheese, but if it’s taken away (for the most part) by soaking it. You can then crumble it on the nachos.
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Meat-based gravy
Heather D’Eliso Gordon, a Kaiser Permanente registered dietitian, says it’s high in “saturated fat, cholesterol, and refined carbs.”
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Gravy alternative
There is a whole world of different gravy mixes out there, and they can be made using fresh vegetarian ingredients, too.
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Try a rub instead
Try making a rub by looking up one of the many recipes online. This way you can keep an eye on what’s going into your food. Chalker recommends Memphis-style rubs.
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Blue cheese sauce
On meat or healthy salads, it’s not very useful to add spoons of unwanted fat and salt when we can choose a healthier alternative.
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Healthy alternative
Susan Albers, a clinical psychologist at Cleveland Clinic, a New York Times best-selling author, and a leading food and nutrition expert, advises replacing it with Greek yogurt, white vinegar, fresh lemon, garlic, salt, and pepper mix.
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Duck sauce
There’s often nothing really off about the sauce you pour over your duck: it’s usually made primarily with apricots. However, “it’s pretty easy to create your version without the sugar,” says Amy Isabella Chalker, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Santa Barbara, California.
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Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.
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