Healthiest Condiments on the Military Diet
The Military Diet is about losing weight, but also keeping it off. To get the best results, we need to eat well on our days off too. We’re always looking for a little extra zing in our diet, but what are the best and worse condiments we add to our food?
Sorry to say, but there’s nothing healthy about mayo. Processed refined soybean oil is the main ingredient in most mayonnaise which causes internal inflammation and contains too many omega-6 fats. Mayo made with 100% olive oil is a healthier choice.
Ketchup seems harmless and we keep hearing about the benefits of lycopene. But unfortunately ketchup has way too much sugar derived from high fructose corn syrup to be healthy in anything but small infrequent doses. (BBQ sauce is the same idea, but has even more sugar).
Store bought salad dressings are also unhealthy with high doses of soybean and canola oil. And those fat free dressings are loaded with more sugar. Fat isn’t always the enemy and actually helps absorb the vitamins and minerals in your salads. Try making your own salad dressings using olive oil as the main ingredient.
So we’ve told you the worst condiments, what are the healthiest condiments to use on the Military Diet?
Honey is a natural condiment that can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. You can spread it on toast, biscuits or crackers. Your can incorporate honey into sauces, glazes and dressings. Honey can be added to tea, coffee, or other beverages as a natural sweetener.
Mustard is one of the healthiest condiments you can use. Mustard is tasty and has no added sugar. Mustard seed and turmeric, the main ingredients of most mustard, are also great antioxidants.
Avocados are a wonderful example of a super healthy fat so it’s no surprise that guacamole is a hearty condiment that tastes amazing on so many different foods. Healthy fats satisfy your appetite and maintain hormone balance. Avoid the added trans fats of store bought guacamole and make it fresh at home.
Salsa is a fantastic substitute for ketchup – all the goodness of tomatoes without added sugar.
Miso is a Japanese paste made from soybeans. It comes in a variety of levels of intensity, flavors and colors. There is white, yellow and red, with white being the mildest. This paste has sweet overtones with mild saltiness, and can be used in marinades, soup stocks and more.
Hummus, that tasty dip made mostly from chickpeas, is a healthy condiment or practically a meal onto itself. If you’re not making hummus from scratch, look for a brand that uses olive oil instead of soybean or canola oil.
Pesto packs so much flavor and is full of healthy fats and antioxidants. You can put it on sandwiches, pasta and meat dishes.
Hot sauce is healthy if it doesn’t have added sugar. And hot peppers are a metabolism booster, making you sweat without hitting the gym. Just watch out for high sodium brands.
Yondu is gaining in popularity with the vegan and vegetarian crowd a replacement for fish sauce. Some say this plant based sauce is better than bouillon and soy sauce. Non-GMO and organic soybeans are fermented in three stages to bring out savory flavors. This base is blended with the concentrated broth of six different vegetables to balance and add delicate complexity. Yondu Vegetable Umami is a well-balanced versatile seasoning.
