The Best and Worst Condiments
Whether you're making a sandwich or heating up leftover chicken from last night's dinner, sometimes you need that extra boost in flavor and the right condiment can equip just about any meal with that. The question is, do you know if the condiment you're buy in the best one out there, nutritionally speaking?
While there typically aren't stark differences in traditional condiments, there are slight ones and if you regularly use them, it may be worth it to opt for the brand that makes a healthier version. We're not talking about elaborate barbeque sauce or funky salad dressings here, but rather the original go-to condiments that everyone likely has stored in their fridge. We analyzed various brands and chose what we thought was the best bottle of ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, and mayonnaise as well as the worst.
Read on to see which brands we praised and which ones we gave a little shade to when it comes to the best and worst condiments.
Ketchup
Best: True Made Foods
True Made Foods condiments are made from vegetables, meaning the sweetness comes from natural sources rather than added sugars. For example, the ingredients list in their ketchup is tomato puree, apple, and a vegetable puree made of carrot, butternut squash, and spinach.
Worst: Heinz Tomato Ketchup
Heinz is likely the most beloved (and well-known) ketchup company on the market. However, it's not the most sensible condiment option with 4 grams of sugar, at least half of which is added, per one tablespoon. Not to mention, it contains high fructose corn syrup, a sugar-based sweetener that's commonly used in processed foods. We'll pass on Heinz this time and opt for the vegetable-based ketchup instead.
Mustard
Best: Annie's Organic Yellow Mustard
Annie's organic yellow mustard is our top pick when it comes to mustard condiments. Why? It's lower in sodium and contains organic ingredients, five of the seven of which are organic. This mustard will spruce up any turkey and avocado sandwich!
Worst: Texas Pete Honey Mustard Sauce
Texas Pete's mild honey mustard sauce packs quite a few food additives including maltodextrin xanthan gum. While these are not harmful to consume in small quantities, we prefer foods that have minimal and natural ingredients. Not to mention two tablespoons of this stuff has six grams of added sugar and 200 milligrams of sodium.
Hot Sauce
Best: Melinda's Original Habanero Hot Sauce
Just look at those nutritionals—zero grams all across the board! As to be expected, one teaspoon does pack quite a bit of sodium, but the most you would need is about two anyways. The ingredients list is even more impressive to us, though. The first ingredient is fresh carrots and the second is a habanero pepper mash. Onions, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, and salt all proceed it and the last ingredient (which indicates that it's the least used) is xanthan gum. We'll take it!
Worst: La Victoria Salsa Brava Hot Sauce
Our main issue with this hot sauce is that it contains a few preservatives and additives: benzoate and modified food starch. La Victoria Salsa Brava hot sauce is by no means a bad choice, however, there are better options to choose from. That's all we're saying here!
Mayo
Sir Kensington's Avocado Oil Mayonnaise
We love this mayo because its made with real ingredients, the top two being avocado oil and certified humane free-range egg yolks. Avocado oil is rich in monounsaturated fats which do wonders for your heart health. There is even some research on avocado oil that suggests it has an anti-inflammatory effect in the body.
Worst: Kewpie Mayonnaise
Truth be told, it's extremely difficult to pick a mayo that's the worst when they all consist of the same ingredients and have nearly identical nutritional value. If we had to single one out, it would have to Kewpie mayo because it contains MSG, which is a flavor enhancer. However, whether MSG is harmful to you (in large quantities) is up for debate. However, MSG has been linked to migraine attacks.
