When it comes to kitchen staples, Worcestershire sauce is on many people's lists for marinades and sauces. A mix of sweet and sour ingredients, Worcestershire sauce adds new layers of flavor to your stews, marinades, and even bloody mary’s.
Whether you use your bottle of Worcestershire sauce on a regular basis or only when it’s called for in that favorite family recipe, you may wonder what the deal is with this hard-to-pronounce sauce. Here’s all you need to know about the nutrition, health benefits, and uses of Worcestershire sauce.
Worcestershire Sauce Nutrition Facts
Worcestershire sauce is not a significant source of any vitamins or minerals. When used in recipes, like stews, soups, or sauces, anywhere from a few dashes to a tablespoon is used for the entire recipe. So, the portion size is relatively small, considering this is a very concentrated, potent flavor. The nutrition information for 5 grams of Worcestershire sauce comes from the USDA.
- Calories: 3.9
- Fat: 0
- Sodium: 65mg
- Carbohydrates: 1g
- Fiber: 0
- Sugars: 0.5g
- Protein: 0
Carbs
Worcestershire sauce contains a mix of flavorful ingredients, including vinegar, onion, and molasses. The molasses contributes a small amount of carbohydrate and sugar, making up the majority of the nutritional value of this sauce.
Fats
Worcestershire sauce doesn't contain any ingredients that have fat, so it is a fat-free condiment.
Protein
The kitchen condiment staple also has no protein.
Vitamins and Minerals
Though not a significant source of nutrients, Worcestershire sauce contains a minute number of several essential vitamins and minerals. A 5-gram serving provides very small amounts of vitamin C, iron, zinc, copper, and potassium. Worcestershire sauce does contribute sodium when added to a dish or used as a dipping sauce. It has 69 mg of sodium per teaspoon.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend you limit your sodium intake to 2,300 milligrams or less a day. While typical uses of Worcestershire sauce merit a very small portion—around one teaspoon—if you do use more on a regular basis, it's important to factor this into your daily sodium intake. Five grams of Worcestershire meets almost 10% of the daily recommendation. While your body needs small amounts of sodium to maintain fluid balance, too much increases your risk of developing high blood pressure.
Blue Cheese Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits
Calories
Because the portion size is so small and because of the limited ingredients, Worcestershire sauce contains around 4 calories per teaspoon.
Health benefits
Despite being high in sodium, Worcestershire sauce offers some health benefits. Here are some of the ways Worcetershire sauce might benefit your health.
May Support Blood-Building
Children, teens, and women of childbearing age have a hard time meeting their daily iron needs. Iron is an essential mineral that plays a vital role in the production of red blood cells. Though not a significant source of iron, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce has 0.8 milligrams of iron, meeting about 5% of the daily value.
Could Support Immune Health
Every day your immune system goes to battle, protecting you from germs and toxins that might make you sick. Your diet supplies your immune system with the nutrients it needs so it can function at its best.
Vitamin C and zinc are two of the nutrients that support immune system health. Worcestershire sauce contains small amounts of vitamin C and zinc and can help you meet your daily needs.
May Benefit the Eyes
You may have heard how carrots are good for your eyes but have you ever wondered why? Carrots contain lutein and zeaxanthin, which are carotenoids predominantly found in the retina of your eyes.
Worcestershire sauce also contains small amounts of these eye-enhancing nutrients. Adding more food sources of lutein and zeaxanthin to your diet may protect you from age-related macular degeneration, a condition that makes things look fuzzy or blurry when you look directly at them.
Serves as Low-Calorie Flavor Enhancer
Millions of Americans struggle with their weight. Making small changes to what and how you eat adds up over time and may help you achieve your weight loss goals.Worcestershire sauce packs a lot of flavor without a lot of calories. It is especially useful in making a savory marinade or meat sauce.
Could Support Heart Health
Worcestershire sauce is a fat-free condiment and makes a good choice for people looking for ways to add flavor to their food without adding fat.Though the traditional Worcestershire sauce is a high-sodium food, you can use low-sodium options to reduce your sodium intake and improve the health benefits of this savory condiment.A standard serving of low-sodium Worcestershire sauce has about 60 milligrams of sodium or a third of the amount found in the traditional versions.
Allergies
Traditional Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies, so if you have an allergy to fish, you want to avoid this condiment or opt for a vegan version. Likewise, some brands of Worcestershire sauce may contain gluten-containing ingredients, like malt vinegar or natural flavors. If you have gluten sensitivity or celiac disease, you should carefully read the label and look for brands labeled gluten-free.
Adverse Effects
Unless you have an allergy to one of the ingredients in Worcestershire sauce, you’re not likely to experience any adverse effects from the savory sauce.However, those who are salt-sensitive may want to be careful about using too much of the condiment, unless opting for the low-sodium varieties.
Varietes
Though you may be most familiar with the original Worcestershire sauce, there are other varieties. In addition to the low-sodium version, you can also find vegan-style Worcestershire sauces made without anchovies.There are also several organic brands of Worcestershire sauce available as well as gluten-free versions.
Storage and Food Safety
You can store your Worcestershire sauce in a cool kitchen cabinet for up to 1 year from purchase, whether opened or unopened. However, shelf-stable condiments like Worcestershire sauce maintain their quality longer when kept in the refrigerator.But you should discard any bottles, whether stored in the cabinet or refrigerator, after 1 year. Refrigeration maintains quality, not safety.
How to Prepare
Soups, stews, and savory casseroles may benefit from a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce. The sauce is also used as a flavor enhancer for steak marinades and sauces. You can even add a dash of sauce to your ground meat when making burgers, meatballs, or meatloaf.
