What’s in a dab of this or a dollop of that? Condiments, toppings, and dressings don’t pack many calories ... or do they?

The answer is – some don’t and some do. If you are counting calories, use caution. When I counsel folks on how to lose weight or maintain their weight, I suggest they limit the “extras” or “others” to 150 calories a day. What are extras or others? These food items could be the oil you use to sauté vegetables or meat, it could be the dressing you pour onto a salad or event the sour cream you drop onto your baked potato.

Limiting these “extras” to 150 calories a day isn’t difficult, but it does require close attention to portion sizes.

If you aren’t watching condiments you can easily add 300+ calories to your meal. Here are a few calorie listings to help you understand how quickly you can pick up calories in the little “extras.”                               

The calories source for many condiments is fat, meaning that means they pack a lot of calories into small portion sizes. So, carefully watch that drizzle, splash, handful, or dash. They may be the difference between gaining and losing a few pounds!

~Martha Rardin