Condiment List For Optavia

Why a Condiments List For Optavia

If you’re like us, you probably have a cabinet full of condiments. Everything from ketchup and mustard to soy sauce and mayonnaise. The average American spends almost $4.00 on condiments every time they go to the store! But what condiments make the list for Optavia? There are seven categories you need to know.

Table of Contents

• Why a Condiments List For Optavia
• What is A Condiment Anyway?
• Your Easy Optavia Condiments List
• Fresh Herbs and Spices
• Dried Herbs & Spices
• Sauces and Syrups
• Optavia Cheese Guide
• Milk
• Baking Ingredients
• Optavia Flavor Enhancers
• What About Healthy Fat?
• Condiment List For Optavia – Final Thoughts

The answer may surprise you. Condiments and healthy fats are two areas of the optimal 5&1 plan that people miss on their journey. We think about the lean and green meal but we don’t think about the seasonings that go into each recipe.

But your weight loss journey won’t be complete unless you understand what needs to be on your condiment list. In this article, we’ll help you get the most out of your diet and go beyond feelings. We’ll talk about everything from healthy fat, to low fat, and how to spice up your meals without destroying your Optavia program or gaining weight.

We’ve created a simple printable with the top condiments that most people are looking for. Of course, you can review the full Optavia diet official list here.

What is A Condiment Anyway?

The Optavia program can be a bit confusing when it comes to condiments. On the one hand, you have spices and herbs, which are essential for flavoring food. Then you have fats, which are necessary for cooking. And finally, you have dressings and sauces, which can make or break a dish.

So what’s the difference between all of these things? Well, spices and herbs are typically used in small quantities to flavor food. Fats, on the other hand, are used to cook food or add richness to a dish.

Dressings and sauces, meanwhile, are usually used to add flavor or moisture to a dish. So if you’re ever unsure about whether something is a condiment or not, just ask yourself: “Is this going to make my food taste better?” If the answer is yes, then it’s probably a condiment.

Important Note: A condiment is not a snack. For a list of Optavia approved snacks check out this article

Condiments Can Be Confusing

You’ll notice in one recipe, that cheese is a healthy fat while in another it’s a condiment. And in another, it is listed as protein. It can all be so confusing. That’s why our condiments list for Optavia aims to keep it simple. What we’ve found is when you start mixing and matching too much, you see your weight begin to go in the opposite direction. You started your diet to see results. Keeping it simple gets you there!

Your Easy Optavia Condiments List

The program breaks down its list into multiple categories so we’ll do the same. We’re going to include the most common that we see in recipes that we review and use ourselves. We’ve also seen these foods in our coach run support community.

Remember each of the items below are considered one condiment per serving.

The Optavia Condiments List

According to the diet guidelines for the Optimal 5 & 1 plan there is a general rule you can follow when considering your condiment servings for meals. The item should contain 1 gram or less of carb per serving. This of course is for optimal results while on the program.

Fresh Herbs and Spices

On our optimal journey, we didn’t worry a ton about these fresh herbs because they are healthy. They add great taste to our lean and green meals without adding an extra carbohydrate in the process. Talk to your coach for support on how strict you should stay based on your health goals. For us, a couple of extra servings of cilantro in our taco salad were not something we worried about.

• Basil – 1 cup whole or 1/2 cup chopped
• Chives – 1/4 cup
• Cilantro – 1 cup
• Garlic – 1 tsp chopped or 1 clove
• Ginger – 2 tsp
• Parsely – 1/4 cup
• Rosemary – 2 Tbsp
• Sage – 2 Tbsp
• Thyme – 1 Tbsp

Dried Herbs & Spices

We’ll repeat ourselves here again by sharing that when we think of an Optavia condiment for our lean and green meal we are thinking more of food like cheese or something with a sauce. But here is the official Optavia condiment list for dried herbs & spices. Of course we are only sharing the most common. Unless noted, the serving size is 1/2 teaspoon.

• Basil (ground) – 2 tsp
• Bay leaf – 2 tsp
• Cayenne pepper
• Chili powder
• Cinnamon
• Cloves (ground)
• Crushed Red Pepper
• Curry Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Ginger
• Onion Powder
• Oregano
• Paprika
• Parsley – 1 Tbsp
• Pepper
• Poultry Seasoning – 1 Tsp
• Rosemary – 1 tsp
• Salt -1/4 tsp
• Spice Mixes – 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric

Sauces and Syrups

This is where you can throw off your Optavia optimal weight program if you aren’t careful. Don’t just look for the reduced fat options. A low fat item doesn’t always mean it is a food you can have on your diet. Also, be careful when checking recipes. There are a lot of healthy meals that don’t fit your Optavia 5 & 1 plan.

Optavia Approved Sauces

• Barbecue sauce (regular): 1/2 tsp
• Sugar-Free Barbecue Sauce – 1 Tbsp
• Ketchup – 1/2 tsp
• Sugar-free Ketchup – 1 Tbsp
• Honey Mustard sauce – 1/2 tsp
• Hot sauce – 2 Tbsp
• Mustard – 1 Tbsp
• Salsa – 1 Tbsp
• Soy Sauce – 1 Tbsp
• Siracha – 1 tsp
• Sugar-Free Syrups – 2 Tbsp
• Teriyaki Sauce – 1 Tsp (check out sugar-free Teriyaki recipes here)
• Tomato paste – 1 Tsp
• Vinegar – 1/4 Cup
• Worcestershire Sauce – 1/2 tsp

Dairy, Cheese, and Milk

Like the sauce category, this is important for your recipes and meals. Most of us grew up cooking with these food items. Remember, this is not about a calorie count. This is not just about being low carb or even too much sodium. Keeping your food balanced and staying in your macros is the key to seeing your healthy weight goals achieved.

This list is pretty exhaustive but we find it very helpful especially for those leans and greens recipes! Also, remember that shredded cheese or crumbled doesn’t change the rules. If you’re using shredded cheese, it’s always better to buy the block and create your shredded cheese with a grater. Store-bought shredded cheese has a waxy film on it that makes it less healthy.

Optavia Cheese Guide

• Cheese (blue, feta, pamesan: all reduced fat – 2 Tbsp
• Cream cheese (light) – 1 Tbsp
• Cream Substitute – 1/ 2 Teaspoon
• Greek Yogurt (non-fat/low fat) – 1 Tbsp
• Laughing Cow Cheese Wedge (FAVORITE) – 1 Wedge

Milk

• Whipped Topping – 1 Tbsp (Great with your Fudge Pudding)
• Reddi Whip in a can – 2 Tbsp (Great with your Brownie)
• Unsweetened Almond or Cashew – 1 Cup
• Unsweetened Coconut – 1/2 Cup
• Dairy Milk – 1 Tbsp
• Rice ilk – 1 Tbsp
• Soy Milk – 2 Tbsp

Baking Ingredients

We love baking recipes. Especially around the holidays. We also find there are a lot of condiment items in our recipes that make it difficult. Optavia has a fairly extensive list of cooking items to help you with make your favorite recipes healthy.

• Almond Flour (a great substitute) – 2 Tsp
• Baking Powder – 1/2 tsp
• Baking Soda – ` Tsp
• Bouillon – 1 Cube
• Broth or stock – 1/3 Cup – 1 Cup
• Cooking Spray – 10 1/4 second sprays
• Corn Meal: 1/2 tsp
• Extracts – 1 Tsp
• Lemon or Lime Juice – 2 Tsp
• Lemon or Lie zest 1 Tbsp
• Onion (chopped) – 1 Tbsp
• Ranch Dressing Mix – 1/2 Tsp
• Taco Seasoning (we added this) – 1/4 Tsp
• Slivered Almonds – 2 Tsp

Optavia Flavor Enhancers

If you struggle to drink all your water in a day and are wondering, “Can I add optional flavor to my H2O?” The answer is, “Yes!” There are a couple of important notes before you do. First, most flavor enhancers contain carbohydrate counts you may not be aware of. Even though they display zero calorie, they often have at least 1 carbohydrate. Watch for that when adding optional flavors to your drinks.

We typically recommend drinking flavored sparkling water which is unsweetened versus addding condiment servings through flavor enhancers. Howwever, Optavia does list some options.

Optavia Approved Flavor Enhancing Condiment List

• Calorie Free Sweetener (stevia) – 1 packet
• Crystal light sticks – 1/2 packet
• True Lemon or True Lime – 1 Packet
• Truvia – 1/3 Packet
• Optavia Flavor Enhancers – 2 Per Day

Trouble Gettin in Your Water Each Day?

Check out this bottle we’ve been using to help with water. Since we started our water intake has doubled! We love the Hidrate Spark Smart Water Bottle.

What About Healthy Fat?

In our lean and green journey and in the lean and green journey we have walked with so many others on the 5 & 1 plan, the idea of a condiment list and healthy fat can become confusing.

We only included the Optavia approved condiment list in this post because we don’t want anyone to confuse a healthy fat with a condiment. We believe your health journey should be simple. That’s the beauty of Optavia and their optimal weight loss program.

Keeping it Simple

We get free from our old life by eating our fuelings each day, followed by our lean and green recipes, and drinking lots of water.

Let’s keep it simple! That’s what makes Optavia work. Of course you need this information which is why we will give you the healthy fat list in another article. By separating the two you’ll remember they are separate the next time you add a little blue cheese crumble to your salad and wonder if you just ate too much protein or if you can’t add oil and vinegar as a salad dressing.

Condiment List For Optavia – Final Thoughts

As always, contact your coach for support or questions. There are more condiments than we listed on this easy condiments list for Optavia. But you can always contact nutrition support or get the complete list from Optavia here.

We hope this helps on your health journey! Remember foods, fuelings, and all those lean and green meals are actually a small part of your health and weight loss adventure. The real health is found in the habits your form along the way. When the journey becomes less about the food and weight you’ll really begin to see the difference!