We know many of our customers calculate all the carbs in their meals. Watching your carbs is essential in taking care of your blood sugar. However, there are things on our plates that most of us never think about.
Some folks love dips. If you are a condiment king or queen, you should read the labels on the products in your fridge. We agree that a sauce can dress up a dull meal and make many things more appetizing. But you may be shocked at the sugar you’re consuming without knowing!
Heinz ketchup has eight grams of sugar in two tablespoons. Heinz Original Sweet & Thick BBQ Sauce has 18 grams of sugar in two tablespoons. Heinz sells a No Sugar Added Tomato Ketchup with two grams of sugar per two tablespoons. It is sweetened with Stevia.
Two tablespoons of Heinz Sweet Relish have six grams of sugar. We’re not specifically picking on the Heinz brand; most prepackaged condiments are pretty similar; we’re just sticking to Heinz as it’s a popular national brand and might be in your fridge.
Heinz Yellow Mustard is carb-free. It’s a great choice if you want a pop of flavor on burgers, hotdogs or other foods. However, we understand that not all sauces serve the same purpose and have different taste profiles.
Low-fat dressings are also a product to be wary of. They often add sugar and salt to compensate for the lack of fat.
When looking for added sugars in the ingredients, they can hide and not be listed with the word sugar. Words that end in “ose,” like maltose, dextrose and sucrose, are sugars. It can also be in the form of syrup. Most of us are wary of corn syrup, but rice and barley syrups are other examples of sugar. Plus, “nectars” juice concentrates, agave and molasse will all drive up the carbs.
If you are trying to get away from store-bought foods as part of your health journey, there are wonderful condiment recipes available online. There are excellent ones for ketchup, barbecue, honey mustard, and so much more here. Making your own dips can give you the comfort of knowing exactly what you are eating.
However, if making your own sauces is infeasible, read the labels of what you have and what you might buy and plan around them. You can enjoy whatever foods you like, even with blood sugar concerns! You just have to be aware of your eating and plan accordingly. Knowing what is on your plate is half the battle!
