Condiments That Are Zero Calories

Eating a low-calorie diet is critical for weight loss and weight management. One way to stay on track is to count calories. Today Show contributor Joy Bauer warns dieters that even a few tablespoons of high-calorie condiments, like salad dressings and mayonnaise sabotage calorie-conscious eaters. She suggests using condiments with few or zero calories in each serving.

Yellow mustard is a tangy condiment for sandwiches and dips. Many brands of this popular condiment contain zero calories, but some do contain up to 5 calories per serving. For a zero-calorie option, look for French's Classic Yellow Mustard,Great Value Yellow Mustard, and Plochman's Premium Mild Yellow Mustard.

Popular in salad dressings and in Mediterranean dishes, wine vinegar contains zero calories and is sold in red and white varieties. According to Food.com, wine vinegars improve with aging, some as long as two years. Since wine vinegar is available year-round in the condiment aisle of most local grocery stores, it is an accessible addition for a cook's condiment collection.

Adding spice does not mean adding calories. Many hot sauces on the supermarket shelves contain zero calories. Texas Pete Red Hot Sauce, Taco Bell Hot Sauce and Frank's Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce all contain zero calories.

Horseradish has been used medicinally and in kitchens for over 3,000 years. Often eaten with dishes that include beef or seafood, horseradish is a spicy and pungent zero calorie condiment. Label reading is important, because many brands contain cream or sugars which increase the caloric contents. Kraft Horseradish and Heluva Good Horseradish each have zero calories per serving.

Lemon juice, with its sweet and sour flavor combination, make it a zero-calorie condiment used in many kitchens and restaurants. Lemon juice is commonly added to dress up fish dishes and can freshen up a simple glass of water. Great Value 100% Lemon Juice and Realemon 100% from Concentrate Lemon Juice are two brands that contain no calories.