When it comes to celebrating holidays such as Independence Day, barbecue sauce is one of the foods that is commonly used. Many people love barbecue sauce because of the strong flavor that it adds to meats that are typically placed on the grill, such as ribs, chicken, and burgers. The sauce can be brushed onto meat while it is still on the grill cooking, or it can be served on the side to be used as desired. For someone who is health conscience and unsure about consuming barbecue, they sometimes avoid using it on their meats at barbecue cookouts. However, as you will learn in the content below, barbecue sauce has several health benefits because of its tomato base that contains lycopene.

The Antioxidants in Barbecue Sauce

Lycopene is basically a carotenoid in tomatoes that gives them the red color that they have. The carotenoid found in lycopene is actually one of the most powerful antioxidants, which makes it ideal for treating various health conditions. For example, the antioxidants in lycopene can fight free radicals, which can prevent them from damaging cells and causing health conditions like cancer. Due to barbecue sauce being mostly made of tomatoes, there is a high amount of lycopene in it that makes it a healthy food option. Just keep in mind that the specific ingredients in barbecue sauce can vary between brands.

Balance Cholesterol for Heart Health

Another health benefit of consuming barbecue sauce is that it can be good for keeping your heart healthy. The reason why is because the lycopene that it contains is able to keep cholesterol levels in the human body balanced. For instance, when lycopene is consumed via the tomatoes in barbecue sauce, it can lower the bad cholesterol levels in your body. You don't want a high cholesterol level because it can lead to fat accumulating in blood vessels, which can eventually lead to blood clots and a possible heart attack. On the other hand, lycopene is also able to raise good cholesterol levels.

Sticking to a Low-Fat Diet is Possible

Although barbecue sauce can vary between brands, most of them are not created using ingredients that contain a lot of fat. You can enjoy such a sauce without worrying about consuming a lot of fat in the process and gaining too much weight. Barbecue sauce is basically a good food option for someone who is trying to stick to a low-fat diet without being deprived of tasty meals.