Worcestershire sauce tops the list of kitchen staples and is used to infuse a dash of new flavor to your marinades, stews, and a variety of mocktails. Despite being a hit for culinary properties, we hardly realize the inherent health benefits it carries. Today we are going to take a look at the nutritional profile of Worcestershire sauce and how it can support your health.
Worcestershire sauce comprises a mixture of flavorful ingredients like onion, vinegar, and molasses. A small amount of sugar and carbohydrate present in molasses comprise a lion’s share of its nutritional value. Worcestershire sauce is a fat-free condiment with zero protein content. Every 5-gram serving contains small quantities of iron, vitamin C, zinc, potassium, and copper. Vitamin B6 can keep your nervous system healthy while building red blood cells. Now let us take a look at the variety of ways in which Worcestershire sauce can benefit our health:
- Children, teenagers, and adolescent women have high iron requirements and find it difficult to meet the same daily. Iron, as we all know, has a big role to play in producing red blood cells in our body. Each tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce contains 0.8 milligrams of iron which can cater to 5% of your daily iron requirement.
- Our immune system has to battle countless adversities daily ranging from toxins to germs which can wreak havoc on our health when left unchecked. This is why our immune system has a steady requirement for essential nutrients to guarantee optimum functionality. Two of the most required nutrients are zinc and Vitamin C which can be traced in small amounts in Worcestershire sauce. Though the amount is not significantly high, it can boost up your immune system without having to strike any compromise in terms of taste.
- Ophthalmologists often prescribe carrots as they contain carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin which are extremely beneficial for the health of our eyes. These carotenoids can be traced in the retina of our eyes. Small quantities of these eye-enhancing nutrients can also be found in Worcestershire sauce. You should try and consume food items rich in zeaxanthin and lutein as they can keep you buffered from macular degeneration which is an age-related condition making things look blurry or fuzzy while staring at something directly.
- Weight is a common problem troubling a lion’s share of millennials. If you have weight loss goals, then making dietary changes can serve as the first step to attaining the same. The best thing about Worcestershire sauce is that it can enhance the flavor of your food without adding to the calorie count. If you are thinking of a way to make a meat sauce or savory marinade, then this magic ingredient can get the balls rolling in your favor in a low-calorie manner.
- The fat-free nature of Worcestershire sauce makes it the perfect option for foodies to add flavor to their dishes while keeping them heart-healthy. The traditional recipe of Worcestershire sauce has a high sodium content. However, you can tweak the recipe by using low-sodium options for enjoying the various health benefits of this tasty condiment. =
We often have doubts regarding does Worcestershire sauce go bad when left around for long. Just like other types of food items, this sauce carrying a distinctive taste also goes bad. Anchovies found in traditional Worcestershire sauce can serve as a cause of concern if you are allergic to fish. In such cases, you can opt for vegan variants. Similarly, you can proceed with gluten-free varieties if you suffer from celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.
Photo by Jonathan Borba
About the Author/s
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.
