Make Tasty Meals With Curry Condiments, Hot Sauces And Spicy Gravy

The barbeque grills are starting to light-up as the early stages of spring and summer peep just around the corner. It is a common practice to indulge in barbecuing and grilling especially after a long hiatus from winter! Even as the charcoal and wood lights up the grill, and lends a smoky flavor to the food, without the use of condiments, sauces and gravy, the end result will always be a little bland. It is important to note that even though condiments and flavorings are indispensable to meals some condiments encourage good health, while others can lead to gaining excess weight.

Adding Taste And Zest To Your Daily Meals

So the question arises, how can you add taste and zest to your meal without breaching your diet or wrecking your healthy eating habits?

Some condiments are useful in enhancing flavor without contributing to the calorie count of the food, while some condiments simply need to be avoided, as they are detrimental to health, and may also promote weight gain.

One basic rule when opting for better sauces and condiments for cooking is to view the viscosity of the condiment. Broadly speaking, healthier and leaner sauces and gravies or condiments are usually thin in character and flow. These include thin sauce made of fermented soy beans, vinegar, pungent peppery sauces, small amounts of Worcestershire sauce etc. Thinner gravies or sauce condiments are abundant in flavor, and most can be used to marinate the meat too. More importantly, they contain lesser calories per flavor level than their denser condiment equivalents.

Some of the denser condiments and sauces such as barbeque sauces, tomato ketchup, honey mustard, edible jelly or preserves of crushed fruit, maple or corn syrup, mayo based creamy salad dressing spreads, and seafood sauces all contain more sugar than the thinner condiments and consequently, contain far more calories per flavor. However there is an exception to this rule; mustard and wasabi sauces are examples of healthy condiments or sauces as they do not contain unhealthy ingredients, even though they are thick.

It is also important to read the labels or the fine print of the ingredient list on commercially available condiments, sauces or gravies, to check if you are choosing a healthy option. Understanding condiment labels is useful in determining which sauces or gravies contain healthy ingredients for a healthy diet, without making a compromise on the flavor. Attempting a variety of new seasonings consisting of herbs and spices can help you with choosing a healthy diet and also adding unique and exotic flavors to the dishes.

Submitted on January 16, 2014