Does Hot Sauce Help You Lose Weight?
Hot sauce is the perfect condiment if you like the combination of flavor and heat. Some people say hot sauce can burn fat, in addition to burning your mouth. This raises the following question: does hot sauce help you lose weight?
Hot sauce alone will not help you lose weight effectively. But it can be used as a condiment to replace high calorie sauces, often overlooked when it comes to following a meal plan.
Hot Sauce Nutrition Facts
When looking at the nutritional value of hot sauce, you can see that it’s a low calorie food. You shouldn’t eat hot sauce by itself (unless you really like it) but it can make plain food taste better.
1 teaspoon (5 ml) of hot sauce contains the following:
| Calories | 0.5 |
| Protein | 0 g |
| Fat | 0 g |
| Carbs | 0 g |
| Sodium | 124 mg |
| Vitamin C | 4% DV (Daily Value) |
It’s no secret that hot sauce is low in calories – which can help people trying to lose weight. But it also lacks vital macronutrients such as protein, carbohydrates, and fat. So, how can hot sauce really help?
Caloric Deficit
The key to a successful weight loss plan is all about being in a caloric deficit. This is a process where you consume less calories than your body burns.
In other words, you need to eat (and drink) less calories than you burn. Consuming the same amount will maintain your current weight and more calories will lead to fat gain.
How Hot Sauce Can Help
Eating hot sauce alone is not a smart way to lose weight. Because it has close to zero calories, hot sauce will not be able to sustain your body and keep you healthy.
As a condiment, hot sauce should be used to add flavor to your meals. Hot sauce can be great for weight loss, as it can replace high calorie sauces that are associated with weight can.
For example, instead of putting ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise on a hamburger, try adding hot sauce instead. It will give the burger some flavor, but it will now also be lower in calories, fat, carbs, and sugar.
Most beginners often overlook just how sauces and condiments can add hundreds of extra calories to a meal. For a good reason too. A small amount of ranch dressing might not seem like much – but it can go a long way.
Does Hot Sauce Make You Bloated?
Even though hot sauce can help you lose weight by adding flavor with fewer calories, it can also make you bloated. As we mentioned above, hot sauce is high in sodium and there are 124 mg per 1 serving.
This may not seem like much, but you probably are putting much more on your plate than one serving. Plus, most foods today have sodium in order to bind ingredients and extend the shelf life.
The problem is that too much sodium can be a bad thing. The CDC recommends that Americans consume less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. Try logging what you eat throughout the day and notice how quickly this number adds up.
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