How many calories does one tablespoon of Lebanese Garlic Sauce have?

One tablespoon of Lebanese Garlic Sauce gives 125 calories. Out of which carbohydrates comprise 2 calories, proteins account for 0 calories and remaining calories come from fat which is 123 calories. One tablespoon of Lebanese Garlic Sauce provides about 6 percent of the total daily calorie requirement of a standard adult diet of 2,000 calories.

See recipe Lebanese Garlic Sauce Lebanese garlic sauce recipe | eggless Lebanese garlic sauce | Toum | with 8 amazing images.

Traditional Lebanese garlic sauce uses egg whites but we have converted it to an eggless Lebanese garlic sauce. This recipe for Lebanese garlic sauce also known as Garlic Toum is a vegetarian version, finds its place in majority of the Lebanese Mezze Platter’s.

The Lebanese Garlic Sauce is not for the soft-hearted. As it is blended smoothly with the rest of the ingredients, the garlic imparts a very strong flavour to this sauce, which also has a pleasant tang thanks to lemon juice.

To make Lebanese garlic sauce combine the garlic, lemon juice and ¼ cup of olive oil in a mixer and blend till smooth. Transfer the mixture into a deep bowl, add the remaining ½ cup of oil in a very slow stream while whisking continuously using an electric beater, till it gets the consistency of mayonnaise. Add the salt and white pepper, mix well and store eggless Lebanese garlic sauce in an air-tight container and use as required.

You need to mix in the oil carefully, as explained in the Lebanese garlic sauce recipe, in order to get the right consistency, similar to mayonnaise. You can store eggless Lebanese garlic sauce in the fridge in an airtight container for around 15 days.

Lebanese garlic sauce is relished with Falafels and Pita breads along with Tabbouleh. Being nice and creamy in consistency it is also used as a dipping sauce and can be easily spread on Pita breads or had plain with vegetables like cucumber and carrots.

This egg free Lebanese Garlic Sauce is an amazing alternative to traditional Mayonnaise. It can be used to add flavor to Pastas or Vegetables.

Is Lebanese Garlic Sauce healthy?

Yes, this is healthy. Let's see why.

Let's understand the Ingredients.

What's good.

Garlic : Garlic has been proven to lower cholesterol. The active ingredient allicin present in garlic aids in lowering blood pressure. Garlic is also alleged to help regulate blood glucose levels for diabetics. Garlic is great for the heart and circulatory system. Garlic has an antimicrobial, antiviral and antifungal function and can help in relieving common cold and other viral infections. To boost your immune system have a garlic clove a day. Garlic is a top anti viral food. The thiosulphate compound, Allicin found in garlic acts as a strong antioxidant and protects our body from damage of free radicals.  Read here for complete benefits of garlic. 

Lemon, Lemon Juice : Lemon is a very good source of Vitamin C and thus helps in the production of  white blood cells and antibodies in the blood which attacks invading microorganisms, prevents infection and builds immunity. Therefore, Lemon juice is given to prevent common cold. The ascorbic acid in lemon juice helps in absorption of iron from the food. So if you’re iron deficient or have anaemia squeeze a lemon on iron rich recipes. See detailed benefits of lemon, lemon juice.

White pepper powder : White pepper stimulates the taste buds in such a way that an alert is sent to the stomach to increase hydrochloric acid secretion, thereby improving digestion and reducing intestinal gas.
• Pepper is an excellent source of manganese, a very good source of iron and vitamin K, and a good source of dietary fibre.
• In addition, white pepper has diaphoretic (promotes sweating) and diuretic (promotes urination) properties.

Olive Oil, Extra Virgin Olive oil : Olive oil is a strong antioxidant and good for heart. Also its has anti inflammation properties. This is one of the healthiest oil you can opt for. It has around 77% of MUFA. Olive oil, especially the extra virgin olive oil, is unrefined oil in its natural state and free of chemicals. Moreover, olive oil also possess polyphenols – a type of antioxidant which protects body cells and maintains heart health as well. Popular in Mediterranean cooking, this oil works best for salad dressings or quick sautéing recipes. They cannot be used for prolonged cooking at high temperatures. Note that its a fat at the end of the day so don't consume too much. Read the super article of  which oil is the healthiest, avoid vegetable oil. 

What's the problem?

Vegetable Oils : We suggest to use olive oil in the recipe but that can change the colour of the Lebanese Garlic Sauce.  To some vegetable oil is only soyabean oil, while some promote it as a mix of oils like soyabean, canola, sunflower, corn and other omega-6 rich oils. These are often cheaper options than many oils, but they are highly processed oils. They are undoubtedly not to be reached out for, whether you are looking for salad dressings, sautéing or cooking.  The 5 best oils used in cooking are olive oil (low temperature short time cooking), avocado oil, canola oil, coconut oil and peanut oil. You must read the super article to find the facts of  which oil is the healthiest avoid vegetable oil. 

Note : 1 cup = 200 ml (standard cup available in the market). The weight in grams varies for each ingredient.

Can diabetics, heart patients and overweight individuals have Lebanese Garlic Sauce?

Yes. Garlic is also alleged to help regulate blood glucose levels for diabetics. Garlic is great for the heart and circulatory system.

Olive oil is a strong antioxidant and good for heart. Also its has anti inflammation properties. This is one of the healthiest oil you can opt for. It has around 77% of MUFA.

Can healthy individuals have Lebanese Garlic Sauce?

Yes. Make sure you make it with olive oil and not a vegetable oil.

8 Pointers to get healthy on a Indian diet

1. Eat healthy and say yes to good home cooked food. Prefer whole grains like oatmeal, quinoa, buckwheat, barley and healthy flours like bajra flour, jowar flour, quinoa flour, wheat flour etc. rather than refined ones like maida. Have healthy Indian fats like ghee, coconut, coconut oil in your diet.

2. Opt out of junk food, packaged food, deep fried foods. Prefer steamed snacks and other non-fried snacks. Check out some Healthy Indian Snacks. Remember to eat small frequent meals through the day as that will keep you always full and prevent your blood sugar from dropping. By starving your body through some diet, will not help you one bit. In fact, dieting will make you binge on 2 to 3 meals which is not good. 

3. Have 4 to 5 servings of vegetables and 2 to 3 servings of fruit is a must. Follow the logic of a vegetable in each main meal of the day and a fruit in-between meals. Check out a few Healthy Indian Soups and Healthy Indian Salads  recipes using this food group.           

4. Cut down on sugar and salt in your diet and pick honey ( very small amounts) or dates to sweeten your food. Slowly cut the sugar habit as this is not going to happen over night. Sugar  is also called white poison. It is a simple carbohydrate with zero nutritional value. On intake, sugar will cause inflammation of the body which will last for many hours. It will spike your blood sugar level and shut down the fat burning process. This also causes high blood sugar levels in your body. The development of prediabetes comes from uncontrolled eating sugar and refined food products for many years and the classic symptom is if you have excess belly fat. This leads to diabetes and further onwards to heart attack, high blood pressure, strokes, impotence and kidney damage. 

Salt and blood pressure. Apart from stress and obesity, one of the main reasons for high blood pressure is excessive sodium and salt intake. Most people find it difficult to limit the amount of salt in their cooking, thinking it will affect the taste of their favourite dishes. 

This is not true. Bajra and jowar are rich in potassium and critical for those with High Blood Pressure as it lessens the impact of sodium. Eating more Potassium Rich Foods will remove more sodium from your body through urine. So include the basic bajra roti and jowar roti in your daily diet to have with Lower Blood Pressure Subzis Recipes. 

5. Befriend a few healthy seeds and nuts like chia seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts and almonds. 

6.  Sprouts are called ‘living food’. They are high is most nutrients and easy to digest as well. Let them feature in your meals at least thrice a week. Also Read : All Benefits about Sprouts. 

7.  Exercise 45 minutes every day. No excuse. You can walk fast, run, do weights, play your favourite sport or go to the gym. No activity reduces muscle tissue which will lead to muscke loss and all kinds of problems with that. 

8.  Sleep early and get up early. Get your body into rhythm and it will function best. Sleep helps your body to recover and makes you look much younger. Also getting good sleep prevent muscle loss. 

How to burn 125 calories that come from one tablespoon of Lebanese Garlic Sauce?

Walking (6 kmph) = 38 mins
Running (11 kmph) = 13 mins
Cycling (30 kmph) = 17 mins
Swimming (2 kmph) = 21 mins

Note: These values are approximate and calorie burning differs in each individual.