5 Healthy Condiments You Thought Were Bad

Healthy Condiments

If you're trying to lean out, or just lose some fat, you've probably had someone tell you that an easy way to decrease your calories is to stop putting condiments on your foods. It's not that easy to get rid of those tasty add-ons, sometimes people look forward to those more than the food itself!

On the other hand, you may be someone trying to eat clean, and either maintain or gain muscle so you don't want to be adding useless calories or eating something with a ridiculous amount of preservatives and man-made ingredients in it. I always encourage you to make your own meals and condiments but sometimes you have to eat out or buy pre-prepared. This list contains foods that aren't bad for you even when bought from a store. Each of these can also be quite easily made at home with tons of recipes found online.

You'll also notice that each of these have a similar macronutrient ratio! If you take macronutrient ratios seriously, these won't throw you off your daily goals and they'll help you lose fat and build muscle.

Well fear no more guys. I've provided you a list of my top 5 Condiments that are healthy and packed with nutrients!

*Side Note: It is always important to read the actual ingredients list first. However, most of these items have a simple list with healthy ingredients. A general rule of thumb is the less ingredients the better (if it has a ton of ingredients with long names you can't even understand, chances are its not the best quality)

1. Mustard

I've grown to love mustard. Especially since I discovered its health benefits. Even the mass produced cheap versions aren't bad! There are different types of mustard but for the most part, they consist of mustard seeds, vinegar, salt, tumeric and other natural spices. This equates to a great tasting condiment, with an average 5mL serving containing 0g Carbs, 0g Fats, and 0.2g Protein. A great add-on to any sandwich or meat dish.

2. Whipped Cream

WHO DOES'T LOVE WHIPPED CREAM!? (Unless you're vegan or lactose intolerant to a high degree) I thought for sure whipped cream was something I should avoid when trying to lean out. Little did I know, 4 tbsps (15g) only has 30 calories, comprised of 1.5g fat, 3g carbs, and 1g protein. Whipped cream is a great add-on as a dessert. Put it on fruit, or other foods to sweaten it up without consuming large amounts of calories or insulin spiking sugar. Be more careful reading the ingredient list here. Lots of dairy companies tend to add controversial ingredients such as "carrageenan" and man-made trans fats, so try to find a cleaner form of whipped cream. Many people make it themselves. 

3. Hot Sauce

I love hot sauce. I literally put that sh*t on everything. Thankfully you only need a few drops to get some big flavour and heat in your meal. It has also been proven to increase you metabolism helping you burn fat. Similar to salsa, its minimal in ingredients. Believe it or not, just looking at the nutritional content of regular Tabasco Sauce, there are 0 calories in 1 tsp. Additionally, there are only 3 ingredients, none of which are potentially harmful:

distilled vinegar, red peppers, and salt.

'nuff said.

4. Salsa

Salsa is another classic. typical salsa is just chopped up peppers, onions, vinegar, and other spices. Goes perfect with chips and I started putting them on my eggs in the morning to add some fiber! I use the "Neal Brothers Medium Salsa". It's great quality and just take a look at the nutritional info! 1g Protein, 6g Carbs (1g Fiber, 1g sugar). It tastes great, offers additional fiber, and only has 20cals in 4tbsps.

5. Tzatziki

Coming from a Greek Background I have no choice but to love tzatziki. Probably my favourite condiment to dip BBQ'd chicken, lamb, or BBQ'd anything really. It is typically made of strained yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, lemon juice, and vinegar. Recipes obviously differ, and you can add your own herbs to give it some flavour and customization. A 2 tbsp serving of store bought tzatziki has roughly 40 calories, 2.5g fat, 2g carbs, 2g protein. Thrown some tzatziki on your next BBQ meats for a healthy macronutrient ratio.

Feel free to add these condiments into your diet and FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT, not guilty.