Les condiments & sauces, fait-maison plutôt qu'industriel.

The role of condiments in a balanced diet

Condiments turn simple dishes into delightful meals. A green salad with no dressing is bland; with a good homemade vinaigrette, it becomes a tasty dish. So the problem is not condiments in themselves, but what is in them and how much you use.

Shop-bought condiments are often loaded with added sugar (ketchup contains ~25% sugar!), salt, poor-quality refined oils and additives. It is one of the big topics for anyone wanting a lasting balanced diet.

The real good news

Several classic condiments are actually excellent for your health when eaten in moderation:

• Mustard: low in calories, low in sugar, rich in sulphur compounds. A real alternative to salt for adding flavour.
• Good-quality balsamic vinegar, cider vinegar: few calories, little sugar, polyphenols.
• Soy sauce, tamari: go easy because of the salt, but low in calories and full of flavour.
• Gherkins, capers: very low in calories, rich in antioxidants. Watch the salt content.
• Tabasco and plain hot sauces: made from chilli, vinegar and salt, with no sugar.
• Homemade pesto: olive oil, basil, pine nuts, Parmesan, a concentrate of good fats and antioxidants.

The shop-bought traps

On the other hand, some shop-bought condiments should be used sparingly:

• Shop-bought ketchup: 25% sugar on average. The equivalent of a sugar lump per tablespoon.
• Shop-bought mayonnaise: very high in calories, often made with refined oils of dubious quality.
• Shop-bought salad dressings: added sugar, preservatives, flavour enhancers.
• Barbecue and « American » sauces: too much sugar, salt and additives.
• Stock cubes: 50% salt on average. Handy in an emergency but best used in moderation.

The alternative: make it yourself

Homemade vinaigrette is probably the simplest and most effective thing you can do to improve your diet. It takes 30 seconds: 1 tablespoon of mustard, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, 4 to 6 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper. Over a year, it replaces litres of shop-bought dressing.

The same goes for:

• Homemade tomato sauce: tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, olive oil. No added sugar.
• Homemade mayonnaise: oil, egg yolk, mustard, vinegar. The taste is nothing like the shop-bought kind.
• Homemade béchamel sauce: butter, flour, milk, with no need for the carton version full of additives.
• Homemade hummus: chickpeas, tahini, lemon, garlic, olive oil. Ideal with drinks.

How to read labels properly

A few rules to tell a good condiment from a trap:

• Short ingredients list: fewer than 5 or 6 recognisable ingredients
• Sugar in the first 3 ingredients: avoid (except for compotes and jams, obviously)
• Salt below 1.5 g per 100 g: reasonable
• No unspecified refined oil: prefer « high-oleic sunflower oil » or « olive oil » to « vegetable oil »
• No flavourings, flavour enhancers or glucose-fructose syrups

How much?

Condiments should accompany a dish, not dominate it. A tablespoon of dressing per person, half a teaspoon of mustard, a tablespoon of ketchup now and then: that is the right range. If your dishes are swimming in sauce, something is out of balance.

Going further

To cut down on shop-bought sauces, rely on herbs and spices, which bring flavour and complexity without empty calories. Combined with a good olive oil and a little vinegar, they are the basis of Mediterranean cooking, the cooking of the Cretan diet.