Last updated : Wednesday, May 20, 2009

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Healthy Condiment Alternatives

Close-up of a young woman's hands squeezing mustard on a hotdog

Fries dipped in ketchup ... potato salad drenched in mayonnaise ... and ribs smothered with barbecue sauce! Not only do our favorite side dishes and condiments add flavor to our barbecue faves they are also loaded in fat and sugar. Don't worry though because Registered Dietitian, Sari Greaves has some healthy alternatives that will keep your summer dishes tasting good and keep your figure looking good.

Healthy Condiment Alternatives:

- Choose low-sodium ketchup (15 calories, 0g fat, 3 mg sodium) instead of regular ketchup (15 calories, 0g fat 167 mg sodium).

- Choose fat-free mayonnaise (11 calories, 0g fat, 120 mg sodium) instead of regular mayonnaise. (57 calories, 5g fat, 105 mg sodium)

- Choose low-sodium barbecue sauce (52 calories, 0.1g fat, 47 mg sodium) instead of regular barbecue sauce (52 calories, 0.1g fat, 392 mg sodium)

- Choose mustard. This condiment is hard to beat because it has minimal calories and fat, but the sodium can add up quickly by the teaspoon. 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (5 calories, 0.2g fat, 120 mg sodium) yellow mustard (3 calories, 0.2g fat, 57 mg sodium.)

Lighten Up Your Side Dishes with these Ingredient Swaps:

- For potato salad: Downsize the amount of real mayonnaise from 1 cup to 1/4 cup and mix in 3/4 cup fat-free sour cream instead.

- For pasta salad: Use a light dressing to cut fat in half.

- For a vegetable side dish: Broil instead of saute in oil.

- For Grain Pilaf: Add diced carrots, celery, onions and pine nuts to the dish.

- For spicy noodles: Use soba noodles (buckwheat). Toss noodles with 2 teaspoons peanut oil (heart-healthy fat),1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, chopped scallions, 3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of hot sauce.

For more great nutrition advice, check out iMag's Food Section. 

Sari Greaves works as a registered dietitian at Step Ahead Weight Loss Center in Central New Jersey where she provides nutrition counseling to a wide variety of patients seeking weight loss and healthy lifestyle modification. As a national spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, she appears regularly on television and has done interviews on ABC News, New York 1, MY9 News, NBC News, Fox News, CW11 News and Bloomberg News. She has been quoted in a variety of print and Internet publications including the Wall Street Journal, Daily News, New York Post, Newsday, Food & Fitness Advisor, Self Magazine, Shape Magazine, MSN News, Men's Health Magazine, Women's Health Magazine, Prevention Magazine, Consumer Reports on Health, Fitness Magazine, Health Magazine among many others. You can email her at sari@stepaheadnj.com.

 

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