The ideal condiment is one that is prepared at home using fresh and local ingredients. Sauces often sneak in fake toxic ingredients: harmful oils, food-coloring, loads of sugar and unhealthy sodium (not to be confused with real salt); however, it is wonderful that there are so many brands now using very minimal and natural ingredients. Here we share a few favorite brands that are clean and full of flavor. Note that these items can be found in many health-food stores and online stores as well.
Hot Sauce
Hot sauce is an item that can contain unnecessary additives. A great clean choice is O Brother’s Jalapeno hot sauce. It makes everything better and is an absolute must have. It is made from organic peppers, organic vinegar, sea salt, and organic apple cider vinegar–and that’s it! Use on eggs, tacos, soups, pastas and much more.
Ketchup and BBQ Sauce
This one may take a while to get used to, but once you do, it’s hard to go back. Ketchups and BBQ sauces are often made of corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, and sugar. After using something real and unsweetened for a while, the conventional products will start to taste fake. Our favorite brand by Primal Kitchen consists of all organic ingredients: tomato concentrate, balsamic vinegar, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and spices. Keep in mind you can always add in a healthy sweetener like raw honey, 100 percent maple syrup, or Yukon root syrup.
Mayonnaise
Seed oils are known carcinogens and are found in so much of our food- especially mayonnaise. What is nice about buying Primal Kitchen is that not only do they use avocado oil, which is a step up from seed oils, they also use better quality eggs. If you are familiar with the war on fat but know how fat can be good for us, this condiment- when made properly- can be a healthy food that you don’t have to “cut back” on. We love their Chipotle Lime mayonnaise. It’s a twofer- use it as a delicious dipping sauce or thin it out with a little coconut milk and make a great dressing to drizzle on all the things.
There are other brands or mayonnaise out there that use even healthier oils, such as coconut oil or olive oil. Where it gets tricky is finding the oil you are most comfortable with along with the quality of eggs, other ingredients and of course what your family is willing to eat. This is one of those condiments we suggest learning how to make on your own and sourcing the finest ingredients. It’s easy and can be incredibly nutrient dense. However, when that is not possible, we must use a good-better-best system. We hope this helps you seek out a better option than the gigantic jugs that filled our childhood.
Mustard
Some generic mustard brands appear to have a short ingredient list; however, the ingredients aren’t organic meaning they contain pesticides, herbicides etc. and “natural flavors.” This may seem harmless because it uses the word natural, but that is not the case. Natural flavoring can contain 80-90% chemicals and preservatives, including the cancer-causing BHA, propylene glycol (antifreeze), and fillers containing genetically modified corn, dairy, and soy. You want to look for a mustard that has only organic ingredients that you recognize like this Thrive Market brand. Thrive Market is made of water, organic vinegar, organic mustard seed, salt, organic turmeric and organic paprika.
Pesto
Most store-bought pesto has a lengthy ingredient list that includes cheese. The cheese is often not great quality. Considering so many people have dairy sensitivity, we were pleased to find this very simple dairy-free option from Seggiano.
Soy Sauce Substitute
Soy and its effect on our hormonal system is a highly controversial topic. We prefer to err on the side of caution. Soy sauce also contains large amounts of refined sodium, as well as gluten, sugar, and MSG. Our clean alternative is free of it all! Made from coconut blossom sap coconut aminos will give your meal lots of soy sauce flavor without the harmful ingredients.
Vinegar
Vinegar doesn’t seem like a typical condiment, but it is used in many dressings and sauces. The problem is most are not organic and are refined. Properly prepared vinegars are left unheated, unpasteurized, and unfiltered keeping them full of nutrients, probiotics, and enzymes. For a light flavor coconut vinegar is a great substitute. It is unrefined, low glycemic, and low acidity; therefore, it won’t spike your blood sugar and its raw form keeps it packed with all the goodies listed above. Apple Cider Vinegar is also a great replacement, it is a little bolder in flavor, with the same benefits, and some argue even more. Bragg unfiltered ACV is one of our go-to brands we trust.