Healthy Sauces vs Unhealthy Sauces
Ketchup vs hot sauce vs BBQ sauce vs salsa vs mustard vs vinegar
On today’s episode of Live Lean TV, it’s about to get saucy, as we compare the right type of healthy sauces vs unhealthy sauces.
One of the most common misconceptions of Living Lean is that you must follow a boring and bland diet, comprised of tasteless foods.
Boiled chicken and broccoli anyone?
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If you watch my Live Lean TV channel, or have tried any of the recipes from my Brad’s Cookbook segment, you know this is not true.
Let me clear this up.
To Live Lean, you do not have to remove all delicious sauces from your diet.
There are a few sauces that contain mostly natural ingredients and do not contain fattening sugar or vegetable oils.
Add these healthy sauces to your diet, and your taste buds will thank you.
However, many sauces can also be unhealthy.
So on this edition of Food Wars, I’m showing you the best types of healthy sauces that should be in your kitchen, as well as the unhealthy sauces that should be in the garbage.
Healthy sauces vs unhealthy sauces
#1. Vinegar
This includes apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, or most other vinegars.
These vinegars get two thumbs up.
I know you may be thinking that vinegar is not really a sauce or it doesn’t taste that good.
When you add vinegar to most marinades for your meat, including chicken, it’s going to add a lot of delicious flavor, without the sugar or processed fat.
Bottom line on vinegar:Â Live Lean approved.
Vinegar is a healthy sauce so add it to your diet.
#2. Ketchup
Do you think ketchup is healthy?
Sorry to break it to you, but ketchup is essentially red sugar.
The second ingredient found in a lot of ketchup brands is a type of sugar called high fructose corn syrup.
That’s a big no-no when your goal is to Live Lean.
If sugar is the second ingredient, you do not want to have that brand of ketchup in your diet.
However, there are certain brands of ketchup that have less sugar, but make sure you look at the ingredients list to ensure it contains mainly natural ingredients.
In most cases, this means words that you can pronounce.
Bottom line on ketchup: Ketchup is questionable.
If the brand of ketchup contains a lot of sugar, it’s an unhealthy sauce and should be out of your diet.
#3. Barbecue sauce
Barbecue sauce is a favorite for many people.
Unfortunately this is offender number 2 of unhealthy sauces to get out of your diet.
The reason is simple.
Most brands of barbecue sauce are loaded with sugar.
In many circumstances the first ingredient listed is high fructose corn syrup.
Again, that’s the bad stuff that you don’t want to be consuming in your everyday diet.
Barbecue sauce can also contain other unhealthy ingredients like modified corn starch.
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Bottom line on barbecue sauce:Â If the brand of barbecue sauce contains a lot of sugar, it’s an unhealthy sauce, and should be out of your diet.
#4. Mustard
Next sauce to discuss is mustard.
Mustard is on the healthy sauce list.
I add mustard to a lot of my homemade sauces that I use to marinate chicken, pork chops, and other meats.
You can add incredible flavor to your meals just be adding mustard.
When you look at the ingredients list, it should contain no sugar.
Bottom line on mustard: Live Lean approved.
Thumbs up to mustard for being listed as one of our healthy sauces.
#5. Salsa
Next up is one of my favorite healthy sauces, salsa.
However, you must be careful with the brand of salsa you’re buying.
Some unhealthy brands of salsa can include sugar.
So make sure you look at the ingredients list to ensure it contains all natural ingredients.
If it does, you’re good to go.
Bottom line on salsa: Live Lean approved.
I use salsa on so many different foods and I never get tired of the flavor.
You can also make your own homemade salsa.
#6. Hot sauce
In the video, I showed a type of hot sauce called sriracha hot chili sauce.
As you could tell, I didn’t pronounce “sriracha” correctly.
If you follow my Twitter or Instagram account, you may have noticed that I cook with sriracha all the time.
I admit, sriracha may not be the best natural type of sauce, but it’s very low in calories.
In fact, sriracha only contains 5 calories per teaspoon, which includes 1 gram of sugar.
Please don’t freak out over 1 gram of sugar per serving.
Come on, it’s 1 gram.
Sriracha also contains sulphites, which I try to limit my consumption.
However, sriracha is one of my go-to sauces to really add flavor, spice, and a little heat to my food.
Bottom line on sriracha: I’m going to give sriracha a Live Lean pass.
In other words, sriracha is staying in my cabinet.
Bottom line on the 6 common sauces that people add to their food
Healthy sauces:
- Vinegar is in.
- Mustard is in.
- Salsa is in.
- Sriracha hot chili sauce is in.
I just love sriracha sauce too much to be overly concerned with the small amount of sugar and sulphites.
Unhealthy sauces:
- Ketchup is out.
- Barbecue sauce is out.
But guys don’t forget to check out the Food Wars episode on cooking with healthy herbs, spices, and other seasonings.
In addition to these healthy sauces, you can also add those healthy herbs and spices into your diet.
There are so many delicious and natural spices that can add real flavor to your food, without additional calories, sugar, or sulphites.
Remember, healthy herbs, spices, and seasonings should also only add the good stuff to your food, flavor.
If I want you to take one thing away, it is this
Look at the ingredients list.
If you see mostly natural ingredients, you’re safe.
But if you see sugar, vegetable oils, or other science words that you can’t even pronounce, stay away.
If you enjoyed this post on healthy sauces vs unhealthy sauces, click the social media buttons to share it with your friends.
Also subscribe to our Live Lean TV YouTube channel so you never miss another episode of Food Wars.
Lastly, leave a comment below on what foods you want to see me cover on future episodes of Food Wars.
Someone comment yesterday that they wanted to see organic cheese vs regular cheese.
Let me know in the comments if you want to see that.
I’ll be back tomorrow with another 4 minute tabata workout that I guarantee will kick your butt.
Talk to you then.
If you’re looking for workouts that quickly burn fat, check out more of my 4 minute Tabata Workouts here.
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Brad Gouthro is the founder of Live Lean TV, a media company focused on helping men and women “Live Lean” 365 days a year. Brad’s programs and content have helped millions of people all over the world learn how to get in shape, and more importantly, sustain it for life.
Brad,
I’m Asian. So what about Soy Sauce and Fish Sauce?
I can’t belive you didn’t had it on your list … LOL
Hah…not a fan of soy products due to the GMO/hormonal effects. Also find fish sauce is very high in sodium. I do like sesame oil for all my Asian dishes though.
YES! Always read your ingredients. I’m always surprised how many sauce type things have HFCS. Crazy.
me too! HFCS is everywhere now in packaged products
Great idea for a topic! Pinned 🙂
cool! thanks for the PIN!