Seasoning your food may have been second nature to you. Maybe you’re the one who had a liking for tartar sauce on your fish and chips, or a big blob of ketchup or mayo. Whatever you picked, can you still have some now?

Condiments are supposed to add flavour to the foods you eat, and another popular option is hot sauce.

People may have become accustomed to the idea of drizzling salad dressing over their lunch or dinner.

In order to keep blood sugar levels in control, it’s important to follow a healthy diabetes diet.

Does this mean all condiments need to go to the wayside? Absolutely not. Here, the Diabetes Meal Plans goes into further detail on how best to enjoy your food.

The first point of call begins at the supermarket – either online or in store.

Try to get into the habit of scanning nutrition labels. They’re informative and helpful when making the best choices.

Ideally, any condiment you select should contain no more than two grams of carbs per serving.

It may be helpful to compare different brands of the same product, as they can differ in their nutritional values.

Also make sure you check the ingredient list, keeping an eye out for added sugars.

Did you know there are over 60 names for sugar; some of them to look out for include:

• Evaporated Cane Juice
• High Fructose Corn Syrup/ Corn Syrup Solids
• Honey
• Malt Syrup
• Molasses
• Sucrose

Artificial sweeteners have been shown to increase a person’s risk of weight gain and diabetes, so they’re not much better.

Artificial sugars can be labelled as: Saccharin, Aspartame, or Sucralose.

It may be beneficial to take note of the type of fat present in the condiment.

Even though it’d be best to stick with healthy fats, such as olive oil and coconut oil, this may be unrealistic.

This is because most condiments are made with soybean oil in order to have a good shelf life.

It’s best to limit the consumption of soybean oil, margarine, corn oil, vegetable oil and peanut oil.

This is why portion control is key when using any type of condiment alongside your meal.

It’s recommended to make your own condiments (if you have the time) so you know exactly what’s going into them.

For ease, the Diabetes Meal Plans have come up with a few product recommendations that have slightly “cleaner ingredients”.

People who enjoy a bit of a kick to their condiment can rely on French’s Classic Yellow Mustard.

For a mouthful of mayonnaise, opt for Hellmann’s Mayonnaise Dressing with Olive Oil.

Those who’d love a bit of BBQ sauce would benefit from choosing Trinity Hill BBQ Sauce.

Ketchup, however, is loaded with added sugar and, unfortunately, there aren’t too many healthier alternatives – so eat it in moderation.

Source: Read Full Article