- Too much salt increases blood pressure and increases risk of heart attack and stroke
- Condiments are also high in sugar and fat, which can increase your risk of heart disease
Just one tablespoon of Britain's most loved sauce can have eight times the sodium content of a single McDonald's fries.
MailOnline investigated the nutritional value of more than 30 seasonings, including those made by Heinz, Hellmann's and HP.
The analysis found that one tablespoon of soy sauce contains almost half of the recommended daily salt limit for adults. On the other hand, the same amount of sweet chili sauce contains almost a third of a person's daily sugar intake.
Nutritionists warn that eating too much salt and sugar can cause high blood pressure, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
The complete results of the audit can be viewed in the interactive graphic below.
Hover over each product to see the exact number of calories, fat, salt and sugar per 100g/ml.
Click here to resize this module
Kikkoman soy sauce tops the list with 16.9g of salt per 100ml.
But in reality, this is equivalent to 5g per 2 tablespoons, which is a common serving size when used in stir-fries.
Similarly, high salt concentrations were found in Amoy's dark soy sauce (15.8g per 100ml), Colman's English mustard (8.4g per 100ml), and Tabasco Sriracha sauce (6.7g per 100ml).
For comparison, a medium serving of McDonald's fries contains 0.62g.
Breaking down pound-for-pound, this equates to 0.54g per 100g. This means that some sauces are up to 31 times more salty.
Eating more than the NHS recommended 6g of salt per day can cause high blood pressure and increase your risk of heart attack and stroke.
About three-quarters of the salt in our diet comes from processed foods.
Victoria Taylor, nutrition coach at the British Heart Foundation, told MailOnline: 'Most of us are consuming too much salt.
“You might think you don't need to worry about salt if you don't add it to your dishes, but most of the salt we consume is already in the foods we buy, including seasonings. It is.”
People who eat the recommended amount of seasonings every once in a while are fine, but over time they can become salty and salty, Taylor says.
Ms. Taylor recommended homemade low-sodium alternatives, including: A tzatziki-style dip made with low-fat plain yogurt, garlic, and chopped cucumber.
Soy sauce is one of the main ingredients used to make seasonings, along with soybeans and wheat, so it contains a lot of salt. Soy sauce is often used not only in stir-fries, but also in sushi, fried rice, dumplings, etc.
A Kikkoman spokesperson said, “All soy sauce contains high amounts of salt, which is inherent in the product's characteristic flavor.”
“But there are actually some scientific studies proving that replacing salt with soy sauce may help reduce your overall salt intake.”
However, hot sauce and mustard are also loaded with salt.
Coleman mustard contains 8.4g of salt per 100g, which is equivalent to 0.42g per serving, although the package says 5g.
Tabasco Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce contains 6.7g of salt per 100ml. However, a typical teaspoon contains 0.3g of it.
The flavorful sauce is packed with a surprising amount of sugar.
Blue Dragon Original Thai Sweet Chili Sauce contains 54.7g carbohydrates per 100ml and 16.4g per 2 tablespoons.
On the other hand, Heinz's tomato ketchup has 22.8g in 100g. This is equivalent to approximately 6.8g in 2 tablespoons.
To put this in perspective, health officials recommend consuming no more than 30g of free sugars added to food and drinks each day.
For comparison, a Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Donut contains 12g of sugar, while a can of Coca-Cola contains 35g.
Too much sugar increases your risk of tooth decay and weight gain.
On the other hand, creamy condiments such as mayonnaise, salad cream, and tartar sauce contain a lot of fat.
100 g of Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise contains 79 g fat and 6.2 g saturated salt solution. This equates to 11g of fat and 0.9g of saturated fat per tablespoon.
That's nearly half the fat in McDonald's medium fries, which contain 17g of fat and 1.5g of saturated fat.
Brits are being told to limit saturated fat to 20g for women and 30g for men.
Eating too much can increase your cholesterol and increase your risk of heart attack and stroke.
