The Healthiest Sauces to Keep in Your Pantry
How to Choose the Healthiest Sauces
How to Choose the Healthiest Sauces
Sauces and dressings may seem like a minor aspect of our meals, but they can have a significant impact on nutrition numbers. Keep these nutritional requirements in mind the next time you are shopping for the healthiest sauces to make your life more tasty without bulldozing your diet.
Calories: Depending on the serving size, sauces can rack up a surprising amount of calories typically from added oil, cream, or sugar.
Added Sugar: Manufacturers may add sugars like high fructose corn syrup or cane sugar to increase shelf-life, cut the acid from ingredients like tomatoes, or make up some of the flavor lost when fat is removed, as is the case for several fat-free dressings. However, you might find it surprising just how much added sugar can be packed into one serving of a sauce. Examine nutrition labels and choose options with 3 grams of added sugar or less per serving. Naturally occurring sugars found in some sauce ingredients like tomatoes and fruits are nothing to fret about.
Sodium: Sodium is a preservative, so you’ll be hard-pressed to find store-bought sauces with zero salt added; however, some products are much higher in added salt than others. Keeping in mind that you don’t want to go too much higher than the daily 2,300 milligrams recommendation for added sodium in the diet, look for sauces that cap the sodium at 400mg in a serving.
Other fluff: Prioritize choices made predominantly with real ingredients (like ones you recognize and can pronounce). That means peeking at the ingredient list and seeing if there are a lot of items in there that you can’t actually shop for at your grocer like food dyes, gums, and artificial sweeteners.
7 Healthiest Sauces For Big Flavors
These sauces and dressings bring the flavor while playing by the nutritional rules.
Chosen Foods Ranch Dressing
- Nutrition (2 Tbsp): 120 calories, 12g fat (2g saturated), 0g Protein, 1g Carbs (0g fiber, 0g added sugar), 240mg sodium
Tasty Bites Tikka Masala
- Nutrition (1/4 cup): 100 calories, 8g fat (3g saturated), 1g Protein, 7g Carbs (1g fiber, 1g added sugar), 400mg sodium
Primal Kitchen Hawaiian Style BBQ Sauce
- Nutrition (2 Tbsp): 30 calories, 0g fat (0g saturated), 1g Protein, 7g Carbs (0g fiber, 2g added sugar), 230mg sodium
Bionaturae Organic Marinara Pasta Sauce
- Nutrition (1/2 cup): 90 calories, 4.5g fat (1g saturated), 0g Protein, 11g Carbs (3g fiber, 0g added sugar), 440mg sodium
Cedar’s Tzatziki with Feta
- Nutrition (2 Tbsp): 30 calories, 2g fat (1.5g saturated), 2g Protein, 2g Carbs (0g fiber, 0g added sugar), 160mg sodium
Bolthouse Farms Avocado Green Goddess
- Nutrition (2 Tbsp): 35 calories, 2.5g fat (0.5g saturated), 1g Protein, 3g Carbs (0g fiber, 1g added sugar), 120mg sodium
Mother Raw Lemon Tahini
- Nutrition (2 Tbsp): 60 calories, 4g fat (0.5g saturated), 1g Protein, 4g Carbs (0g fiber, 1g added sugar), 135mg sodium
Conclusion
In conclusion, the key to choosing the healthiest sauces is to be mindful of the nutritional requirements. When shopping for sauces, look for options with 150 calories or less per serving, 3g of added sugar or less, 400mg of sodium or less, and a focus on real ingredients. By incorporating these healthy sauces into your diet, you can add flavor without compromising your health goals.
FAQs
Q: How do I choose the healthiest sauces?
A: Look for sauces with 150 calories or less per serving, 3g of added sugar or less, 400mg of sodium or less, and a focus on real ingredients.
Q: What are some healthy sauce options?
A: Some healthy sauce options include Chosen Foods Ranch Dressing, Tasty Bites Tikka Masala, Primal Kitchen Hawaiian Style BBQ Sauce, Bionaturae Organic Marinara Pasta Sauce, Cedar’s Tzatziki with Feta, Bolthouse Farms Avocado Green Goddess, and Mother Raw Lemon Tahini.
Q: Can I still get big flavors with healthy sauces?
A: Yes, these sauces and dressings bring the flavor while playing by the nutritional rules.