Unusual Herbs
When was the last time you sprinkled some chervil, lovage, lemon balm, or papalo on a dish? According to the National Restaurant Association, you’ll be seeing a lot more of these leafy green herbs—which are botanically similar to parsley, celery, mint, and cilantro, respectively—on restaurant menus, and possibly in grocery store aisles. Like all fresh herbs, they’re good for your health.
“By adding herbs to your food, you can reduce or even eliminate the salt you add and still have a tasty meal,” says CR’s Ellen Klosz, a Consumer Reports nutritionist, “thereby reducing your sodium intake and making a healthier dish.”
Though they’re not typically eaten in large enough quantities to have a big effect on your daily intake of vitamins and minerals, they do help. One tablespoon of dried chervil, for example, has 26 milligrams of calcium and 90 milligrams of potassium; and lovage is high in vitamin C. Fresh versions of herbs can also be tossed into salads with other nutritious dark leafy greens.
Hot Sauce
This spicy condiment has been a mainstay in consumers’ cupboards and fridges for decades, but 2017 saw countless unique varieties heating up industry trade shows and grocery store aisles, and that trend is expected to continue. Think everything from milder types with hints of ginger and citrus to painfully hot blends made with extra spicy varietals, such as ghost pepper and the Carolina Reaper.
And capsaicin, the compound that puts the heat in peppers, can have health benefits, too. Hot peppers have been associated with a longer life, improved blood flow, and a healthy metabolism, and may also be protective against bacteria that have been linked with inflammation and disease. A recent study found that spicy food lovers not only preferred to eat less salty foods but also ate an estimated half a teaspoon less of it per day than people who didn’t like spicy foods, and had lower blood pressure.
“Hot sauces provide a different taste profile to your food in a similar way that herbs do, and because many contain sodium, you don’t have to add salt,” says Klosz. “It’s also low in calories and contains some vitamin C from the peppers.”
Watch the sodium content, though. For example, just 1 teaspoon of popular brand Frank’s Redhot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce has 190 milligrams of sodium. That can add up quickly if you’re not careful.
Sparkling Beverages
“Sugar is now the number one thing people want to avoid in their diets,” says Darren Seifer, a food and beverage industry analyst at The NPD Group, a market research firm. In fact, he says, 70 percent of adults are trying to either cut down or eliminate the ingredient altogether. And one strategy they’re using is cutting out sugary beverages. “The trends in beverages reflect a move toward purity,” says Seifer. “Particularly at restaurants, we see that bottled and seltzer water is a top beverage.”
Sparkling water is a bubbly alternative to sugary sodas and can help keep you hydrated, says Klosz. “Some people find it difficult to drink enough plain water because they simply find it boring, so sparkling beverages like seltzer are a good option,” she says, because the bubbles make it interesting. But check labels before you buy. While seltzer is usually sugar- and calorie-free, some sparkling waters contain sugars, and others have non-nutritive sweeteners (such as aspartame and sucralose). “They may not be noticeable on the label unless you look at the ingredients,” Klosz says.