When you think about most sauces and condiments, a lot of them aren’t that great for you. I mean, ketchup is loaded with sugar, mayonnaise is super high in fat, and soy sauce is super high in sodium. Ranch dressing, the ubiquitous midwestern sauce for pretty much everything, is high in fat. But what about hot sauce? Is it actually good for you?
When you think about most sauces and condiments, a lot of them aren’t that great for you. I mean, ketchup is loaded with sugar, mayonnaise is super high in fat, and soy sauce is super high in sodium. Ranch dressing, the ubiquitous midwestern sauce for pretty much everything, is high in fat. But what about hot sauce? Is it actually good for you?
So what exactly is in hot sauce? Hot sauce typically has three main ingredients: chili peppers, vinegar, and salt. Because a small dab will typically do you when it comes to hot sauce, the per serving numbers look pretty good.
If you look at the nutrition labels on most hot sauces, you’ll find these types of averages:
1 teaspoon (5 mL) contains:
Calories: 0-1
Protein: 0 grams
Fat: 0 grams
Carbs: 0-1 grams
Vitamin C: 4% of the Daily Value
Keep in mind that hot sauce recipes vary wildly, with some having much higher levels of sugar and salt than others. However, most hot sauces are going to contribute very little carbs, fats, or proteins to your diet. They do however, contribute some vitamin C (an important antioxidant), and capsaicin.
Capsaicin is what gives peppers their spicy heat, which means that your hot sauce has some as well. As with other ingredients, the amount of capsaicin will be wildly different from hot sauce to hot sauce.
Common store bought sauces like Crystal, Tabasco, and Frank’s will have very little in comparison to many enthusiast and artisanal sauces, which have higher concentrations of extremely hot peppers (like Carolina Reaper, Ghost Peppers, etc.), or even extracts, which are super concentrated capsaicin.
If you’re looking to boost the amount of capsaicin in your diet, look for hot sauces that have higher Scoville heat units (SHU), which measures the concentration of capsaicinoids in a sauce or pepper. For instance, a jalapeño will average around 5,000 SHU, an habanero around 150,000 SHU, and a Carolina Reaper will come in at a whopping 1,500,000 SHU.
Capsaicin has a number of reported benefits, including:
Keep in mind that hot sauce is typically only consumed in small amounts, so it’s questionable whether it alone would contribute to any of the health benefits we’ve listed here. As part of a diet that also includes other spicy foods, however, you may be able to see the benefits from increased consumption of capsaicin.
While hot sauce may contribute to better health, it’s important to read your labels. Many less expensive or mass produced hot sauces are extremely high in sodium. To the point where that one or two teaspoons you consume in a day may contain most of your daily sodium allotment!
Anyone trying to eat a healthier diet knows that it can sometimes be bland. That’s because you’re often cutting out the ingredients that make food taste so good! Fats like butter, sugars, carbohydrates, are often left on the wayside. However, by adding a touch of hot sauce to your dishes, you can often compensate for the lack of less-healthy flavor.