Which Sunny Condiment Can Save You Hundreds of Calories a Month?

By , SparkPeople Blogger
It's mustard, of course, and it happens to be one of the lightest condiments out there. It truly is a healthy eater's great friend.

A tablespoon of the yellow stuff has just 10 calories and no fat. A tablespoon of mayo has 90 calories and 10 g fat. You would have to eat a half-cup of mustard to get that many calories. According to French's, if you replace mayo with mustard on all your sandwiches this summer, you can save more than 8,000 calories!

National Mustard Day is this Saturday, Aug. 1, but we wanted to give you time to prepare all your favorite mustard dishes.

Did you know that mustard has a long history that dates back to the Roman times? And the yellow stuff we squirt on our hot dogs at baseball games is almost the same as it was back them.

According to About.com's home cooking expert, the word "mustard" comes from contraction of the Latin mustum ardens meaning "burning must." It was called "burning must" because in France the spicy mustard seeds were crushed and mixed with the juice of wine grapes, called "must." However, back in ancient Greece, the father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, used mustard as a medicinal plant more than a culinary one!

Mustard is still made the way the Romans made it, with the spicy and tangy seeds of the mustard plant and vinegar or the juice of wine grapes. The seeds come in yellow and black varieties, and while both are spicy, the latter is more pungent. When dry, mustard lacks its trademark spice; soaking the seeds causes a reaction that allows the heat to emerge. Cold water or other liquids will produce a hotter mustard while hot water will tame some of the mustard seed's bite. As a result, cooking or heating mustard can also reduce its bite.

Let's take a look at some of the different varieties of mustard you might see on supermarket shelves:

Yellow mustard: This is the most common form of mustard in the US. It is usually made with ground yellow mustard, white vinegar and turmeric, which gives it that trademark bright-yellow hue. It is smooth.

Dijon mustard: The city of Dijon in France and the surrounding Burgundy region are known for producing some of the world's best mustard. The mustard is usually made with wine instead of vinegar and brown and black seeds. It is tan or dark yellow and smooth.

Honey mustard: Any mustard can be mixed with honey to sweeten it and temper the heat. When choosing a variety at the store, try to find one that has as few ingredients as possible. Even better, make your own at home by mixing your favorite mustard with honey to taste. This mustard is higher in calories than unsweetened varieties, about 35 calories a tablespoon.

Whole-grain or Meaux mustard: Whole-grain mustard uses whole, uncrushed mustard seeds. A famous variety is Meaux mustard, made in the city of the same name just outside Paris. It is very similar to Dijon mustard in taste, but it is a whole-grain mustard, while Dijon mustard is smooth.

Other varieties of mustard include English, which is made from flour, turmeric, and mustard seeds in various colors, and Chinese, which is just mustard powder and water or wine. Germany is known for its mustard as well, with varieties that run the gamut from smooth to coarse, sweet to spicy.

Grab a bottle or a jar and get cooking! Here are some great tips for using mustard:

  • Spread mustard on any meat before grilling. It's also great on shrimp and tofu.

  • Thin mustard with a bit of water or vinegar for an easy dipping sauce.

  • Use a teaspoon of Dijon mustard as a stabilizer when making vinaigrette. It helps keep the oil and vinegar from separating.

  • Skip the mayo and make mustard-based vinaigrettes for potato salads, pasta salads and cole slaw--all your backyard barbecue favorites!

  • Honey mustard poured over chicken or pork chops before baking makes for a quick and easy dinner.


Did you know?
  • In olden days, mustard was lauded for its health properties. Plasters of mustard on the chest were said to clear up sinus and chest congestion, and it was also said to help ward off upset stomach in small doses.

  • Here in Cincinnati, where SparkPeople is headquartered, we've got a deep-running German community. There's even a club dedicated to a particular German mustard!

  • Mustard is a member of the brassica family of plants, which means it's related to cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale, cabbage and Brussels sprouts. The mustard plant's green leafy tops are edible and can be cooked like collards or turnip greens.

  • According to Dr. Jonny Bowden's book "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth," mustard seeds contain plenty of cancer-fighting phyto-chemicals and antioxidants.

  • If you live in or near Wisconsin and really like mustard, you might want to check out the Mustard Festival in Mount Horeb. It'll be the last one in that town, organizers say!


Find plenty of SparkRecipes that use mustard here, and check out some recipes from French's mustard, too!

Are you a mustard fan? Do you like it smooth or coarse, spicy or sweet? I like strong Dijon mustard. I put it in salad dressings and love it with cheese. I plop a spoonful into macaroni and cheese to really punch up the flavor. What is your favorite way to use mustard?