If you’re trying to cut back on sodium after a heart attack or for any other reason, you may struggle to find things that taste good. I hear this a lot.
A quick and easy strategy is to add a punch of flavor with hot sauce. Hot sauce is actually a broad category, with different heat levels and flavor profiles, from classics like Tabasco to regional specialties inspired by Mexican, Caribbean, and Southeast Asia.
If you only use a few drops, the sodium won’t be much. But drop your food in a teaspoon or more, and you might want to pay attention. Turn the bottle upside down and you’ll see numbers ranging from 30 mg to 200 mg per teaspoon.
Below is a complete guide to heart-healthy hot sauce, including the sodium content of popular grocery store brands, tasty, lower-sodium alternatives you can order online, and other ways to bring the heat to the kitchen.
Quick starter with hot sauce
In addition to peppers, ingredients you’ll often see include garlic, vinegar, various spices, and salt. All good or even possibly beneficial for heart health, except salt if you get too much.
If you’re not familiar with the hot sauces that have become more popular lately, such as sriracha, cholula, or peri-peri, here’s a brief overview of the main categories:
- Louisiana style — Tabasco, Frank’s RedHot and other simple combinations of peppers, vinegar, salt and maybe garlic. Despite the name, Frank’s is actually milder than Tabasco, thicker and less vinegary.
- Mexican style — The flavor of the dried chili makes them more complex and earthy, versus the sheer heat. Brands you might see include Cholula and Valentina.
- Caribbean/Habanero style — Scotch bonnets and habaneros — fiery. the intensely spicy peppers — often combined with tropical fruits such as mango, papaya or pineapple.
- Southeast Asia — Garlic and slightly sweet Sriracha seems to be all the rage right now. (Or was I just under a rock before?) My daughter uses it like some people use ketchup. Others you may see include sambal oelek – a thick Indonesian chili paste and Gochujang – a thick, fermented paste from Korea.
- African/Peri-Peri Style — Nando’s made it popular in North America and their sauces are even in our grocery stores in Calgary. They use African chili peppers and add a bright, citrusy flavor.
- Craftsmanship/Biotechn — There are endless options for small-batch sauces made with unique peppers, unusual ingredients and creative flavor combinations.
Can hot sauce benefit your heart?
Hot sauce may provide cardiovascular (CV) benefits, primarily because most contain chili peppers that are rich in capsaicin (the compound responsible for their heat). The research suggests that people who regularly eat spicy foods tend to have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cardiovascular mortality! Isn’t that something?
However, because this evidence comes from observational studies, as usual, we can’t say for sure whether chili peppers should get any credit.
Do they improve blood pressure, cholesterol, or other heart disease risk factors? A very recent meta-analysis (study combining multiple studies) found that studies of capsaicin or red pepper were too different from each other and the overall sample size was too small to draw firm conclusions. As always, the authors felt that more research was needed.
But in any case, if you enjoy hot sauce, it can be a quick and easy way to add flavor to foods that support heart health, but may need a little help in the flavor department: vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fish, poultry… And that’s definitely a win, as long as it doesn’t contribute to excess sodium.
How much sodium is too much?
Before looking at sodium content, it’s helpful to know, for context, that sodium recommendations range from (less than) 1500 mg to 2300 mg. I usually go with the World Health Organization 2000 mg/day. (Hypertension Canada also aligns with this recommendation.)
(Too much sodium is associated with high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, kidney stones, stomach cancer and osteoporosis. An analysis published in the New England Journal of Medicine it is estimated that worldwide, 1.65 million annual Cardiovascular deaths were attributed to sodium above 2000 mg/day!)
To make it more practical, I often recommend a rule of thumb of 500 mg/meal, to compare to labels. If you eat three meals a day, that leaves you with 500 mg for snacks and the occasional (slightly) higher sodium meal. Of course along with the hot sauce there will be sodium hidden in the bread, tortillas, salad dressing and other foods in a meal.
Hot sauce sodium content
I’ll just highlight the popular grocery store dressings here, from highest to lowest sodium, per teaspoon:
That’s quite a range, isn’t it?
But would you use anywhere near a teaspoon? (If you’re not sure how much it is, try measuring it next time.) If it’s only a few drops, don’t sweat the sodium, even if you like a sauce with a higher salt content.
But if you like to smother your food in hot sauce or use it to season chili or chicken wings, it might be worth checking the sodium next time you shop.
It doesn’t have to be zero. Salt can enhance the flavor of other ingredients. But sauces near 200 mg per teaspoon aren’t great choices if heart health is a priority for you.
Interesting low sodium hot sauces
There are many unique and fiery hot sauces available at specialty stores or direct from the manufacturer. I have to admit I haven’t tried any of them yet so I can only comment on the nutrition.
First, LOOK WHAT I FOUND on the Walmart website of all places: Pepper North Sweet garlic + hot sauce Habanero Peppersonly 35 mg of sodium, and made in Canada! (I’m excited, but I’m not related.) It’s a bit more expensive, but if you’re Canadian and want to support the locals, here you go.
There is another large business in Ontario called Hot momswhich he exclusively does without salt Caribbean style hot pepper sauces.
If you’re in the US, there’s a great online marketplace called Buy healthy heartswhich also has a line of low-sodium and sodium-free hot sauces, among other condiments. (Watch out for potassium chloride, though, if you’ve been told to limit potassium.)
Again, I have no affiliation with any of these businesses. I just want to help connect you with great lower sodium products!
Even more heart-healthy ways to add heat to your dishes
If you can get jalapeños, serranos, or other hot peppers and take the time to chop them (carefully), you’ll get vitamin C, beta-carotene (a precursor to vitamin A), fiber (a small amount), and potassium, in addition to capsaicin, the compound thought to have anti-inflammatory propertiesamong other benefits.
No peppers on hand? You can also sprinkle in ground cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, or ground chipotle, which is made from smoke-dried jalapeños. These contain at least some capsaicin and are salt-free, cheap and widely available.
Also, in North America, “chili powder” is usually a mixture containing ground chili peppers with other spices such as cumin and garlic powder, and possibly salt. (Check the label.) The amount of capsaicin varies widely by brand and is often moderate.
So many options!
How hot is it?
If hot sauces, peppers, and seasonings are new to you, you probably want to get a feel for how hot they are before you buy them.
The heat of peppers is measured using Scoville heat units (SHU), which reflect the amount of capsaicin. The higher the SHU rating, the hotter the pepper. Here are some examples:
- Peppers – 0 SHU
- Poblano – 1,000 to 2,000 SHU
- Anaheim – 1,000 to 5,000 SHU
- Jalapeño – 2,000 to 8,000 SHU
- Serrano – 10,000 to 25,000 SHU
- Cayenne – 25,000 to 50,000 SHU
- Tabasco – 30,000 to 50,000 SHU
- Thai (aka bird’s eye peppers) – 50,000 to 100,000 SHU
- Habanero – 100,000 to 350,000 SHU
- Scotch Bonnet – 100,000 to 350,000 SHU
(Fun fact, I got these numbers from a list on the University of Florida websitebut it only featured peppers I found at my local grocery store — Superstore, online — either fresh or as ingredients in hot sauces. They have a lot more peppers than I expected.)
Growing conditions, ripeness and variety of peppers can all affect heat levels, which is why the SHU is given as a range. For most people, the best approach is to start gently and work your way up.
If you want to see what each of these peppers looks like, there’s a handy chart here at Keany Produce and Gourmet.
You usually won’t find the SHU on a bottle of hot sauce unless it’s a specialty company that uses very hot peppers. Instead, you’ll usually see mild, medium, hotetc. Another clue: If you check the ingredient list and a pepper is the first ingredient, it will generally be hotter than one where similar peppers are lower on the list.
Bottom line
Hot sauces are absolutely a great addition to your heart-healthy pantry if they help you enjoy more of these heart-healthy staples: whole grains, legumes, etc.
You may or may not get CV benefits from the hot sauce itself, but it can’t hurt unless it’s contributing to your sodium intake. Check the label and compare with your serving size.
If you’ve tried some of the low sodium hot sauces I mentioned above, please share your thoughts in my free facebook group! (I’ll admit you if you’re not already a member.)
And one last time: I have no financial relationship with these companies. Just trying to introduce you to some products that could support your healthy diet, as always!
