The ones I see people recommend to stay away from the most is mayonaise, and butter/margarine.

I can't eat bread dry so I always use low-fat margarine. Also I can't stomach tuna dry (it's damn rough when cooked) so I add low-fat miracle whip.

Other things I use are soy sauce and a mild chilli sauce on chicken breasts, and chutney on brown rice. Also brown sugar to my oats, and spices to my broccoli. I tend not to add salt to anything.

So my question is basically, how much of this is going to severely hamper my progress? (I do realise it depends on quantity) Also what others should I generally avoid?

Lastly, does anyone have any idea what chutney is? There's no nutritional information on the label. This is the best I could find: http://www.unileverfoodsolutions.co.za/products/categories/show/696-0-1-2110.mrs_balls_regular_original_chutney_3_x_8_x.ht ml except the nutritional information doesn't say how much it's for so I can only assume 100g.

Many sauces are high in fat. Fat is high in calories. But the worst part is you don't have control of the fat types.

Have you tried olive oil on your bread,fish etc?

I'm not sure about soy sauce. I guess it's high in salt but off the top of my head I can't think of other issues.

With any store bought item you need to check what's in it. I can't imagine home made chilli sauce would be bad for you.

Sauces are usually based on either sugar or fat, which can make the calories add up if you use a lot. Many spices (and a lot of sauces including soy sauce) are high in sodium, which isn't likely to hamper fat loss, but it can encourage water retention, and can result in elevated blood pressure.

The sauces I would recommended are based on tofu, beans, low fat dairy, tomatoes, and vinegar.

I mix my tuna with yogurt, or sometimes pasta sauce.

Chicken is good with salsa or other tomato based sauces.

Hummus is a good spread. Black bean sauce is nice, but high in sodium.

Mustard adds a good flavor to sandwiches, usually with no significant calories at all. Pickles give good flavor and crunch for negligible calories, and olives give a nice flavor with plenty of healthy fats.

I quite often add green onions, dried fruits, and nuts/seeds to my salads for extra flavor, instead of fatty dressings.

Spice blends can have a lot of added salt. The ones with a stronger flavor usually will have less sodium added. My favorite spices are garlic, cayenne pepper, chili powder, curry powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

I'm not familiar with chutney, but I think it might have some added sugars in it. It's probably better for you than teriyaki sauce or ketchup, but more calorie dense than salsa or pasta sauce.

Garlic
lemon juice
Mustard
Crushed red pepper
red wine vinegar
balsamic vinegar


the awesomenesses of awesome.

For tuna, try a little bit of fat free sour cream, lime juice and some spices like garlic and habanero powder.

Try going to www.thedailyplate.com, sign up and you can check out almost any food that you want. There are several types of chutney listed.

So my question is basically, how much of this is going to severely hamper my progress?

Just to chime in on this last question, it kind of can hamper your progress a lot. Or not much, depending on how much you use. The main thing to be conscientious of is that in adding things to jazz up healthy food, you can make it unhealthy.

Before I even read your post (probably not a good idea....) let me just say:
"Eat Mustard"

*edit*
ok I went back and read the thread.
How much it does or doesn't hamper your results depends 100% on how much you eat. If you cant eat certain things without sauces, just add the calories for the sauce into your daily intake. Overall a Tuna sandwedge with a bit of mayo is still going to be 100x better then a slice of pizza.

Try mixing some low fat "plain" yogurt in your tuna instead of mayo.
Other then that I stand by what I said, "eat mustard".

I do actually add the numbers into my diet, except some things there's no nutrition information for them (chutney was the one example). I try to use sauces as sparingly as possible, but some things (particularly dry foods such as tuna) I just can't seem to swallow without the sauces.

I'll definitely try the yoghurt with tuna and look into trying the mustard too.

Regarding sodium and salt intake, how much is too much, and how much should you actually be getting per day?

BOverall a Tuna sandwedge with a bit of mayo is still going to be 100x better then a slice of pizza.
Yes, if you make it yourself. Mayonnaise is fine if you're controlling the amount that you use and don't use it very often.

However, I would advise you to never ever order a tuna salad sandwich outside of your house.

The 6" tuna sub (250 grams) from Subway has 530 calories and 31 grams of fat. Even the double meat Subway Club (with no mayo, 280 grams) has only 330 calories and 5 grams of fat. Comparatively, 2 typical slices of cheese or vegetable pizza (about 200 grams) would have 400 calories and 10 grams of fat.

Yep, eat mustard!

...

Lastly, does anyone have any idea what chutney is?

Chutney is a condiment (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chutney). Tasty. Usually associated with curry, but not bad on a sandwich either if desperate.

per 100ml:
Calories: 870kJ
Protein: 0.5g
Fats: <0.3g total, saturated 0.11g
Carbs: 50g, sugar 48.4g
Sodium: 490mg

suggested serving 15ml

ciao

The ones I see people recommend to stay away from the most is mayonaise, and butter/margarine.

I can't eat bread dry so I always use low-fat margarine. Also I can't stomach tuna dry (it's damn rough when cooked) so I add low-fat miracle whip.

It is personal preference. I prefer natural foods over chemical cocktails, so I would much rather have an all-natural mayonnaise and live with a few extra calories then get some low-fat brand that is full of chemicals. That's just me. Also, I always butter my bread. I use a spread that is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and is trans fat free. Healthy fats are fine as long as they fit within your total calorie allotment.

I see a lot of people who "diet" and go for sugar substitutes, etc.

I've always been able to cut to low body fat, and assist my clients with cutting to low body fat, using natural sugar, maple syrup, butter, etc.

One of my favorite meals when cutting is french toast. I use whole wheat bread, grain-fed eggs, and all natural maple syrup. The maple syrup impacts blood sugar less than a baked potato and is a rich source of magnesium.

I can't stand dry bread. I love taking bread, smearing on some healthy fat margarine, then sprinkling on sugar and cinnamon. People freak out, "OMG sugar - the enemy". The truth is that if I have a nice, high fiber bread, my sugar isn't going to make a whit of difference. It's 1 tsp (not tablespoon, teaspoon) and that's just enough to make it taste sweet, but only adds 16 calories.

16 calories!

It would take over 200 of those in a week to keep me from losing a pound of fat ... or I could just jog an extra 20 feet and it's a wash.

Jeremy

However, I would advise you to never ever order a tuna salad sandwich outside of your house.
Thats a scary thought :eek:

Try mixing some low fat "plain" yogurt in your tuna instead of mayo.

I highly recommend greek yogurt in tuna... a bit creamier and more substantial than plain, and you still get low fat and some protein out of it...

I like to use bar-b-q sauce on my chicken...thoughts on the bar-b-q sauce?

I like to use bar-b-q sauce on my chicken...thoughts on the bar-b-q sauce?

Barbecue sauces are usually very high in carbs from sugar so you might want to watch your amounts with it (or drop it entirely if you're trying to get those last few pounds between lean and very lean.)

Barbecue sauces are usually very high in carbs from sugar so you might want to watch your amounts with it (or drop it entirely if you're trying to get those last few pounds between lean and very lean.)
....especially when the first ingredient is HFCS. I order BBQ sauce here (http://www.gatesbbq.com/) - they don't use HFCS and it's the bomb.
:drool:

Barbecue sauces are usually very high in carbs from sugar so you might want to watch your amounts with it (or drop it entirely if you're trying to get those last few pounds between lean and very lean.)


There is a local restaurant that makes a fantastic sauce...not sure if this is below normal for a typical sauce or not http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/viewProduct.php?p=38