After tracking our food intake off and on for years now, we've acquired quite a few hacks, tips, and tricks to make our meals delicious and nutritious without excessively spiking our blood sugar or adding unwanted body fat.

And, we're so excited to share these with you over the next few weeks! 

Before we share our favorite dressings and sauces, you might be wondering, why do we track our food?

People diligently track their sleep, steps, water intake, blood pressure, heart rate, pulse, bodyweight, stress, glucose levels, hormones and more, without batting an eye or considering it obsessive. 

So why is tracking food any different? 

We get it. Anti-diet culture likes to pigeon hole everything into one bucket. And because food tracking has been used by many as a way to eat as little as possible, leading to disordered eating for some, we understand that some are hesitant to consider it a beneficial practice. 

However, perspective and intention are everything.

We believe that tracking your food for some period of time is one of the best health practices you can implement to learn what's in your food, how it makes you feel afterward, and how many calories on average you're consuming daily.

For so many women in particular, tracking food is a way to ensure that we're eating enough, especially protein.

Tracking your food intake may very well be the most beneficial piece of data that you collect, if you're into that sort of thing. It's no different than tracking anything else if you have the right mindset. When you have that data, you can use that to make informed decisions and improve your health.

If you're new to tracking, one of our favorite platforms is MyFitnessPal. It has the largest database of user generated entries and is fairly easy to use.

(Side note: those who join our nutrition program get access to food logs from our entire team of nutrition coaches so you'll never be short on meal ideas and recipes!🎉)

Today, we're sharing our favorite dressings, sauces, and hacks for adding robust flavor to all of your meals without excessively spiking your blood sugar and without overdoing it on calories and fats, which is very easy to do when oils and condiments are involved.

Favorite low-fat / low sugar dressings & sauces:

• Acid League Meyer Lemon Honey Vinegar
  (available at Whole Foods)
• Primal Kitchen No Soy Teriyaki Sauce, Ketchup, BBQ Sauce, etc.
  (the entire brand is fantastic with very clean ingredients and no added sugars or artificial anything; check the labels for varying macronutrient content as some do contain higher fat)
• Bragg's No-Oil Vinaigrette
• Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar
• Sprout's Zesty Italian Dressing
• Honey mustard + red wine vinegar + 1/2 tablespoon organic EVOO + salt and pepper to taste
• Coconut Aminos
• Trader Joe's Green Goddess Dressing
• Bolthouse Farms Cucumber Ranch Greek Yogurt Dressing
  (they have an entire line that uses Greek yogurt instead of oil as the base, so you get much lower fat and higher protein than most dressings)

Another quick hack: use 1 tablespoon of your favorite oil-based dressing and mix it with 1/4 cup of non-fat cottage cheese or Greek yogurt for a lower fat, higher protein dressing or sauce.

Are higher fat dressings and sauces "bad"? No. We don't believe in labeling anything good or bad because context and bio-individual responses matter. 

If you're monitoring your caloric and macronutrient intake for a healthy, balanced body, you'll want to make sure that your dressings and sauces aren't making up a majority of your meal's calories.

Plus, calories from liquids are not very filling at all.

We'd much rather fill up on whole food items and use low calorie dressings and sauces for flavor.

Keep reading in the following weeks for our favorite swaps, macro-friendly recipes, and easy meal hacks 🎉

Shannon Morse & Lisa Kirby | Creators of Awaken Your Nutrition @thegreendoor.life  |  thegreendoorlife.com

P.S. Check out our nutrition master class if you're new here. Or, click here to book a free call with us if you're ready to sign up and get a head start on healthy habits before the Holidays 💚

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When you're done trying "all the things" and are tired of feeling tired, we'll be here waiting for you with open arms! Apply for our life-changing 12-week Awaken Your Nutrition program today and feel better at your next meal.

Book a discovery call today to get started.

You'll speak with a Green Door Life team member and learn more about flexible payments and the right type of program to support your goals and learning style.

Click the Discovery Call link below or forward this to a loved one who is ready for this support in their life (limited space available; serious inquiries only)👇

P.S. Looking for more nutrition, health, and training support? Here are 2 ways we can help you:  

(1) WATCH OUR FREE MASTERCLASS → Discover the 3-step system in our that helps you activate your natural weight management code without restricting your favorite foods or exercising excessively! Click here to register and view at your convenience.

(2) GET LEAN → If you’re ready to permanently lose at least 10 pounds in as little as 8 weeks or want to maximize your performance and muscle tone, then book a discovery call with us.

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