5 Essential Condiments to Enhance Your Health and Flavor of Your Meals

7 min readMay 4, 2020

Have you ever felt confused in the condiment section of the supermarket or bored of eating flavorless chicken with steamed veggies?

Supermarket shelves are full of dressings, sauces, dips, spreads, chutneys, anything from basic olive oil to banana ketchup.

I often feel overwhelmed by the options and a laundry list of the ingredients of added high fructose corn syrup, loads of sodium, gums, food coloring, and other things that are difficult to pronounce.

But which one to buy?
Are any of these condiments healthy?

Not all the condiments created are equal, and many of them can be nutritious for you.

Dressings have been getting a bad rap for providing extra calories to your meal or mysterious ingredients. The majority of condiments are indeed calorie-dense, especially if you choose to eat out.

If your goal is to drop down a few extra pounds, your safest bet is to get a “dressing on the side” and use it as a dipping sauce, or even better, make your own at home.

Nevertheless, adding condiments to your meal can complement the ingredients, enhance the flavor of a dish, and immediately take it from 6 to 10.

Here is the list of a few classics that is a must to have based on its flavors, health benefits, and versatility.

1. Hot Sauce

Most hot sauce is made of some combination of chili peppers, vinegar, and salt. Some can be fermented, smoked, or roasted to add a funky element. It is low in calories and will jazz up your meal.

Hot sauce is an ancient invention that goes back as far as the Mayan era, used by inhabitants of Mexico, Central America, and South America more than 6,000 years ago. The original hot sauce was likely prepared using peppers and water. Then, colonization led hot sauce to be evolved and further introduced ingredients from other parts of the world, such as vinegar and salt.

Hot sauce also contains a valuable bio-active ingredient, called capsaicin, that gives peppers their distinctive spicy flavor. In the recently published study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, researchers analyzed the diets and health records of more than 22,000 people living in southern Italy. They report that “People who ate chili peppers more than four times a week were less likely to die of heart disease than those who rarely or never ate the spicy-hot peppers.” They further conclude that capsaicin may help diminish inflammation and other harmful processes involved in plaque growth in arteries.

That bottle of Sriracha or Tabasco that has been sitting in your fridge can make you live longer, but be careful: in some people, spicy foods may increase the production of gastric acid in a stomach and cause heartburn.

15-minute homemade hot sauce recipe:

Choose peppers of your choice (if you opt for a spicy one make sure to put the gloves on)
Pour the vinegar into a pot, add peppers, salt, and garlic. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a low boil until peppers are soft (about 10 minutes).
Blend everything and enjoy!

2. Vinaigrette

It is the basic dressing for any salad. It is made by blending a minimum of two ingredients: oil with something acidic such as vinegar or lemon juice (or all three together as the infamous Julia Child preferred).

The mixture can be flavored with salt, herbs, spices, a sweetener such as honey or maple syrup.

Why is it called “Vinaigrette”? It is the diminutive form of the French word “vinaigre” (“vinegar”) that was first used in England as early as 1699. It became widely used in France only in the late 19th century.

When it comes down to the health benefits, olive oil is unsaturated fat that plays a vital part in balanced nutrition. Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) is a staple of the Mediterranean diet, it is well-established that it is good for your overall health, but it’s especially good for heart health. Moreover, fats provide energy, balance hormones, and help with the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Making a vinaigrette is a quick and simple task, store it in the fridge for a week or two to have it handy to toss with some greens.

Head out to the supermarket and browse around for a new flavor of vinegar. There is a wide variety of them: balsamic, white, red, champagne, rice, ume plum ( that gives that unique umami flavor that I am a huge fan of ) or even fruit-flavored vinegar, such as raspberry and blueberry. For an even tastier dressing, add citrus to replace the vinegar with fresh lemon, lime, or orange juice. Add Dijon mustard, herbs, and a dash of salt and pepper and whisk it together.

Have fun with it!

3. Mustard

Mustard is a popular condiment, typically made from mustard seeds, members of the Brassica family — just like broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts — and added distilled vinegar, garlic powder, turmeric, lemon juice, and salt.

The first people who experimented with these seeds were the Romans. They mixed unfermented grape juice (the must) with ground mustard seeds to make “burning must.” Romans later introduced mustard extraction to monks in Paris, where its popularity began to grow. You probably have heard of the Dijon region, the mustard capital of the world, that has been producing mustard since the 13th century.

In nutritional value, mustard averages about 5 kcal per teaspoon. That’s a bang for your calorie buck (Yes, I just made it up)!

But mustard holds more value than just calories.

The golden color of mustard comes from the turmeric that has been used in Asian cultures for thousands of years for its medicinal, cooking, and coloring features. The turmeric contains the phytochemical curcumin, which may have anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and antioxidant properties. According to Harvard Health News, “turmeric is currently being studied in human clinical trials for colon and pancreatic cancers, Alzheimer’s disease, blood disease, and psoriasis.”

Additionally, mustard is very versatile. Besides using it on your burgers and pretzels, mustard is also a healthy addition to homemade salad dressings, marinades, and dips. My favorite ways of using mustard are to brush it on salmon or chicken before broiling to make a flavorful crust or make some deviled eggs. My favorite type is whole grain Dijon mustard.

Go stock up on mustard!

4. Soy Sauce

Soy sauce is a flavorful liquid condiment and preservative of Chinese origin that will spice up your dining experience.

The roots of soy sauce can be traced back to the 3rd century to a sauce called “jan.” It began from pickling raw food in salt to preserve it from fruit and vegetables to meat and grains. The combination of rice, wheat, and soybeans, is thought to be the archetype of soy sauce. It is made by boiling the ingredients with Aspergillus oryzae (also known as koji), which is then covered with salted water for several weeks, resulting in a thin, reddish-brown liquid whose primary flavors are salt and umami.

You must’ve heard that soy sauce is high in sodium. It is true; it provides about 900 mg of it per 1 tablespoon. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg to reduce the risk of high blood pressure.

However, there is a side note. You should not be too concerned when it comes to using soy sauce in cooking. Most dietary sodium (over 70%) comes from eating packaged and prepared foods, so read the labels if your goal is to reduce salt intake.

It’s also worth noting that the sauce has a strong flavor that allows you to use very little of it. And that’s without even factoring the health benefits of its consumption. Fermented condiments promotes digestion, possess antimicrobial activity against bacteria such as Staphylococcus a., and E. coli, and it exhibits anticarcinogenic effects.

Keep this versatile fermented goodness as a constant in your fridge for easy stir-fries, marinades, bowls of noodle soup, salad dressings, or sushi night.

5. Tomato Salsa

Tomato salsa is another low calorie, delicious condiment loaded with healthful nutrients.

Salsa is the Spanish word for “sauce.” The history of salsa sauce can be traced to the Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas. The Spaniards first encountered tomatoes after their conquest of Mexico in 1519–1521, which marked the emergence of salsa sauce. Aztec’s combined tomatoes with chili peppers, ground squash seeds, and used it as a condiment served on the variety of meats and seafood.

When Americans speak of “salsa,” they refer to a condiment made with tomatoes, onions, and chiles. Salsas can be served cooked or fresh over eggs, fajitas, grilled beef, and roasted chicken, used as dips for tortillas, and tacos.

Tomatoes are best known for their phytochemicals called carotenoids, such as lycopene, lutein, and beta-carotene, that are important to maintain eye health and may protect against age-related macular degeneration and other eye diseases. They also contain some essential minerals, including calcium and magnesium. Not to forget the benefits of capsaicin from chilies that were mentioned earlier.

A pro cooking tip from science: research suggests that cooking tomatoes with heat can increase their nutritional value, antioxidant activity, and lycopene bio-availability.

Salsa can be smooth or coarsely chopped, mild, or hot, with fresh or dried chilies, but all will perk up your meals, so do not skip!

The Fin

Flavorful dishes make it easier to establish and maintain healthy eating habits. The supermarkets are full of condiments that can provide a wonderful treat to your palate. However, there is nothing like creating your own salsa or hot sauce.

In the comfort of your own kitchen, you are in control of the ingredients, methods of preparation, and flavors.

You can make a product that is lower in calories, sugar, and sodium with fewer (or no) artificial ingredients, that will please your unique taste buds and meet your health goals!