Worried about the high sodium content in the sauce for your Mid-Autumn barbecue? Nutritionists teach you 6 principles for making homemade sauces, healthy and hassle-free

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, barbecue becomes one of the people's favorite activities. However, the sauces commonly used in barbecue are high in sodium and can easily cause health concerns. To this end, Zhan Shuyun, director of the Nutrition Department of Daqian General Hospital, said that as long as the characteristics of natural ingredients are utilized, delicious and healthy sauces can be made, and there is no need to worry about excessive salt or too many food additives, so that Mid-Autumn barbecue can be eaten healthily and enjoyably.

Director Zhan Shuyun further explained that the Ministry of Health and Welfare recommends that the daily sodium intake of adults should not exceed 2,400 mg (about 6 grams of salt). In order to enhance the taste when grilling meat, many people will use commercially available barbecue sauce because it has a stronger and saltier taste and a relatively higher sodium content. If we look at a tablespoon of 12 grams of barbecue sauce, the sodium content is about 470 mg, which exceeds the sodium content of 1 gram of table salt (400 mg). When you add more and more sauce, you will consume too much sodium without realizing it. Therefore, it is recommended to use natural ingredients to make homemade sauces, which not only improves the taste but also reduces sodium and calorie intake.

6 principles to make your own natural sauce, healthy and worry-free

To make your own sauce, follow these principles:

1. Make good use of the taste of fruits and vegetables (for example: mango, tomato, apple, grapefruit, pumpkin, etc.).

2. Use the unique flavors of fruits and vegetables, such as passion fruit, citrus, radish, cucumber, and onion.

3. Choose coriander, basil, basil, sesame, green onion, celery, etc. to enhance the aroma of the sauce.

4. Replace sugar with calorie-free sugar substitutes and replace salad dressing with sugar-free yogurt.

5. Choose olive oil, raw nuts or avocado instead of saturated fats.

6. If you want a refreshing and appetizing taste, you can choose fruits with strong sour taste, such as: lemon, kiwi, kumquat, etc.

In addition to homemade sauces, choose low-fat meats (tenderloin, skinless chicken, fish, seafood) when grilling, and avoid processed foods (sausages, hot dogs, etc.). You can boil or microwave the meat until half-cooked before grilling it to reduce the chance of cancer caused by burning. At the same time, don’t forget to supplement dietary fiber (such as: King Oyster Mushroom, Shiitake Mushroom, Loofah) to increase satiety and maintain nutritional balance.

Director Zhan Shuyun shared three kinds of homemade sauces (recipes are as follows). People can choose their favorite flavors to make at home and spend a healthy and carefree Mid-Autumn Festival together.

Homemade natural sauces, healthy and worry-free.