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A huge part of losing weight is making longterm changes in your diet–changes that you will be able to sustain. This is part of the reason that extremely limiting diets tend not to work in the long run. It’s hard for everyone to cut out all their favorite foods indefinitely.
That’s why it’s important to find healthy, filling foods that actually taste good. In doing so, you can develop a diet that you’ll actually want to stick to. Sauces can help by adding some added flavor to any food. Plus, some sauces have their own weight loss benefits.
Keep reading for more details!
Hot Sauce
Hot sauce is a great addition to your diet, especially if you are hoping to lose weight.
Maryann Walsh, MFN, RD, CDE, explains to Eat This, Not That!, "It was also observed that regular consumption significantly reduced abdominal adipose (fat) tissue, reduced appetite, and overall energy intake. Though not to be taken as a magic fix, hot sauce can be implemented in the diet to spice up your meals and bump up energy expenditure."
Pesto
Pesto is a great healthy sauce to add to your diet, and it can be an easy way to make your favorite foods more tasty. It can easily be added to chicken, sandwiches, and anything else you might want to add some flavor to.
Most pesto sauces are made form fresh basil, garlic, lemon, pine nuts, cheese, and olive oil--all of which can be part of a healthy diet. However, as with everything, it is smart to keep this sauce in moderation. If you want to get started, Try out this low calorie pesto sauce recipe.
Golden Turmeric Sauce
This turmeric sauce recipe is another great one to add to your routine.
Turmeric contains curcumin, which has metabolism-boosting properties. According to Healthline, "A review of 21 studies in over 1,600 people linked curcumin intake to reduced weight, BMI, and waist circumference. It also noted increased levels of adiponectin, a hormone that helps regulate your metabolism."
Tzatziki
Tzatziki is another healthy sauce to start using for weight loss. Made from Greek yogurt, it's high in protein and low in calories, which is important for weight loss.
A high-protein diet is an excellent way to achieve weight loss, but it has many other health benefits as well. According to Women's Health, "A Johns Hopkins University study found that a diet in which roughly a quarter of the calories (about 60 percent more than the recommended 10 to 15 percent) come from lean protein sources reduced blood pressure, LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels, and triglycerides better than a traditional higher-carb diet. Other research finds that diets rich in protein can help prevent obesity, osteoporosis, and diabetes."
Creamy Avocado Sauce
If you love avocados, this is another great metabolism-boosting sauce to try.
This recipe is full of healthy fats, protein, and spices that will kick your metabolism into high gear. Plus, you can make it as mild or as spicy as you'd like--so it can be customized exactly to your tastes.
