Best Low Sodium Sweet and Sour Sauce - Tasty, Healthy Heart Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What sauces are heart healthy? ›

that can have large amounts of sodium. Soy sauces, fish sauces, and sweet and sour sauces may contain 900-1500 mg of sodium per tablespoon. This is 75-100% of what your daily intake should be; all in one small spoon!

It's also easy to customize sweet & sour sauce if you don't want to make a special trip to the store! Replace the pineapple juice with a mixture of orange and lemon juice, and opt for tamari or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce to make it gluten-free.

Pineapple juice furnishes the sauce's fruity flavor, while ketchup boosts its sweetness and provides the signature red color. A slurry of cornstarch and water thickens the sauce to an appropriately viscous consistency.

Be careful with condiments.

High-sodium condiments include various flavored salts, lemon pepper, garlic salt, onion salt, meat tenderizers, flavor enhancers, bouillon cubes, catsup, mustard, steak sauce and soy sauce.

Dairy Products

Half & half, whipped cream and sour cream can also form a part of a low sodium diet. Avoid buttermilk, malted milk, milk shakes and chocolate milk, and don't eat more than two cups of dairy products per day.

Fish like salmon, cod, halibut, tuna, flounder and snapper are naturally low in sodium, providing about 40 to 80 mg of sodium per serving.

Tip: Sugar can also soften acidic flavors, as in a sweet-and-sour sauce. To see how, make an overly sour vinaigrette, then whisk in sugar a pinch at a time until the vinaigrette tastes less harsh but not sweet.

What can I use instead of sweet and sour syrup? ›

It's that easy. If you have simple syrup (sugar and water, you have this!) on had already, you'll combine 2 parts simple syrup with 1 lemon juice and 1 part lime juice. I usually go with 1 cup each and get a quart of fresh sweet and sour mix.

And although the texture and flavors are a bit different, apples are a great pineapple substitute. Oranges (or juice): Providing the citrusy, sweet, and tart flavors, oranges can also replace pineapples. Apricots: Again, this replacement is both sweet and tart — like a pineapple.

Make a flour slurry to thicken creamy sauces.

Combine equal parts of flour and cold water in a cup. Mix it until it's smooth and stir it into the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer for 5 minutes. A general rule is use 2 tsp (3 grams) of flour to thicken 1 L (34 fl oz) of liquid.

Could I use flour instead of cornstarch? Yes, but you may need more flour than what the recipe calls for in cornstarch. The cornstarch is just used to thicken the sauce; flour will also thicken the sauce, just not as well.

Adjust the flavor balance of your sauce: If too tart or acidic, add 1/4 tsp. sugar and stir well. If too bland or sweet, add 1/4 tsp. red wine vinegar and stir well.

Tomato-based sauces are generally best for high cholesterol as these sauces do not contain any cholesterol.

Some healthy mayo alternatives would be using a full fat, plain Greek yogurt, mashed avocado, or just a mix of olive oil and an acidic liquid like red wine vinegar or lemon juice, like in this favorite potato salad recipe. These healthy fats also provide essential nutrients for a balanced diet, so it's a win-win.

Lycopene is the antioxidant that gives tomatoes their red color, and it can help reduce heart disease. Lycopene reduces free-radical damage and “bad” cholesterol levels while promoting “good” cholesterol levels. In one ten-year study, people with diets rich in lycopene had a 17-26% lower risk of heart disease.