Condiments and Fat Loss

Condiments can really improve a meal. You know this if it is the 16th time this month you’ve had 10 oz. of chicken breast and 2 cups of broccoli for dinner. Sometimes your meals need a little help, but what condiments can you use that won’t be detrimental to your diet or daily budgets? There are good options, you just have to know what you are looking for and be honest with how much of the condiments you use.

I am sure you’ve seen it, maybe it was part of your old habits, but it never ceases to amaze me how much ranch and ketchup some people use. Pump after pump from the dispenser and a mound of ketchup is left that is the size of their main course. Or scoop after scoop of ranch to dip any and everything in… oh but at least they’re having a salad with their ranch. You can easily rake up hundred of calories from condiments. In the case of ranch, all from fat. For ketchup, mostly sugar.

Freebie Condiments

Here are a few condiments that you can really have a lot of without worrying (too much).

Mustard – Plain yellow mustard is primarily vinegar and mustard seeds and is practically calorie free (the label may say 0 or 5 calories). No sugar and no fat in this condiment! Feel free to check out the many different varieties too. Just watch that label for sugar.

Hot Sauce – Frank’s, Tabasco, or Cholula… Most varies are calorie free as well. If you like to spice up your food, some hot sauce may be the answer for you! The only concern with most hot sauces may be sodium. If you are worried about excess sodium just read the label of your hot sauce.

Salsa – Now if you are ketchup lover, fresh salsa could be the condiment for you. I would encourage you to look for the fresh varieties which are loaded with veggies. You’d be looking at 5-15 calories per 2 tablespoon. There may be a little sugar, but it won’t be added (just from the veggies). When comparing to ketchup it is a clear winner!

Grated Parmesan Cheese – At 20 calories, just from a little fat and protein (a couple grams each), this is a pretty helpful condiment. A serving of 2 tablespoons of this condiment goes a long way and can really help a lot of dishes. Take note, this the grated variety. The whole or shredded cheese variety is not so diet friendly. It is also  carb and sugar free!

Maybe Condiments

All of these condiments could be used if their individual impacts (and serving size!) are figured into your daily budgets. Ketchup, bbq sauce, light dressings, oil based dressings, light mayo, etc. Now as I mentioned in 5 Nutrition Pitfalls, these are not free! Fat free and sugar free options do not mean they are calorie free. They are also are very processed and contain many artificial ingredients. They are definitely not the best for you. Watch them carefully and use sparingly and infrequently. For condiments like ketchup and bbg sauce, sugar will be the main concern. Dressings are typically high in fat and often sugar. For many oil based dressings, these aren’t unhealthy. These condiments are just calorie dense and that doesn’t always help our goals. Calling it “good” fat doesn’t change the over 200 calories per serving and 16+ grams of fat. If you want to be on the safe side, avoid them altogether while on Fat Shredder. If you are going to use some, make sure you track the condiments and measure your servings! No squeezing a puddle of ketchup and saying, “yea, that’s 2 tablespoons.” No, get the scale out or measuring spoons.

Pick Condiments That Help

So when you are ready to add some condiments, treat them like any other food. Measure and track them. Account for everything you are eating (including condiments) and you will get the best possible results. If you try to cheat your tracking, you are cheating yourself and shortchanging your results. Enjoy some mustard or grab some hot sauce, but don’t let me catch you with the whole bottle of ranch next to your plate!

 

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