Our Top Picks
- Best Overall: Yamaroku Kiku Bisiho Soy Sauce at Amazon.
- Best Dark Soy: Lee Kum Kee Dark Soy Sauce at Amazon.
- Best Low-Sodium: Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce at Amazon.
- Best Tamari: San-J Tamari Gluten-Free Soy Sauce at Amazon.
- Best Mushroom-Flavored: Lee Kum Kee Mushroom Soy Sauce at Amazon.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium beef broth.
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar.
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar.
- 2 teaspoons molasses.
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil.
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder.
- Black pepper (to taste)
- 1/4 cup water (boiling)
Summary Soy sauce is high in sodium, which is associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure. However, it is lower in sodium than table salt, and sodium-reduced varieties are available. Soy sauce can be included as part of a healthy diet rich in whole foods.
Low-sodium salts typically replace some of the sodium in sodium chloride with potassium, so they're a mixture of sodium and potassium chloride. Potassium chloride is the principle positive ion in our body's cells and can help lower blood pressure. Unfortunately, it can also stop your heart.
Reduced-sodium beef broth (25 percent less salt) gives this soy sauce substitute recipe 12 to 13 milligrams of sodium per tablespoon, about 25 mg per tablespoon if you boil down the sauce and reduce it by half. You will get the effect of soy sauce without soy and with much less salt.
Summary Soy sauce is high in sodium, which is associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure. However, it is lower in sodium than table salt, and sodium-reduced varieties are available. Soy sauce can be included as part of a healthy diet rich in whole foods.
Our Top Picks
- Best Overall: Yamaroku Kiku Bisiho Soy Sauce at Amazon.
- Best Dark Soy: Lee Kum Kee Dark Soy Sauce at Amazon.
- Best Low-Sodium: Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce at Amazon.
- Best Tamari: San-J Tamari Gluten-Free Soy Sauce at Amazon.
- Best Mushroom-Flavored: Lee Kum Kee Mushroom Soy Sauce at Amazon.
Water to the Rescue!
Rescue too-salty soups and sauces by adding a bit of water, sodium-free broth, or other liquid. Start with a small amount; then, taste the results; and add more until you get it right. You might need to add more solid foods to get the soup or sauce back to the desired consistency."Less Sodium" soy sauce is made the same way as regular soy sauce, but about 40 percent of the salt is taken out post-brewing. Dark Japanese soy sauces have a deeper color, but actually taste less light.
Light Soy Sauce (Chinese): The word for light soy sauce in Chinese translates to “fresh” soy sauce, as it is traditionally made from the first pressing of fermented soybeans. It is the most commonly used sauce in Chinese cooking. If our recipes call for “soy sauce,” we mean light soy sauce!
6 substitutes for soy sauce
- Tamari. If you're not dealing with a soy allergy or monitoring your sodium intake, tamari is the closest in taste to regular soy sauce.
- Worcestershire sauce.
- Coconut aminos.
- Liquid aminos.
- Dried mushrooms.
- Fish sauce.
If prebottled soy sauce alternatives don't suit your needs, try making a sauce from scratch. A similar recipe from Wellness Mama uses beef broth, traditional molasses, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, and fish sauce with other ingredients. For a vegan soy sauce alternative, try this one from Vegan Lovlie.
Kikkoman Corporation (??????????, Kikkōman Kabushiki-gaisha) is a Japanese food manufacturer. Its main products and services include soy sauce, food seasoning and flavoring, mirin, shōchū, and sake, juice and other beverages, pharmaceuticals, and restaurant management services.
Americans eat on average about 3,400 mg of sodium per day. However, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg per day—that's equal to about 1 teaspoon of salt!
The two soy sauces used in soy sauce chow mein are dark and light. Dark soy sauce is thicker, darker, and slightly less salty then regular/light soy sauce. It's almost black and has the look of soy sauce, but reduced. It is used for flavor, but mainly for adding that classic dark caramel color to dishes.
Tamari is the Japanese version and soy sauce is the more commonly known Chinese variety. Tamari is a little thicker and less salty, while soy sauce has a thinner consistency and leaves a burst of salt on the tongue.
Summary Health authorities recommend between 1,500 mg (1.5 grams) and 2,300 mg (2.3 grams) of sodium per day for heart health — much less than Americans consume on average.
The overall flavor of soy sauce is a result of the balance and interaction among different taste components. The saltiness is largely attributed to the presence of NaCl (common salt) in brine. The sugars hydrolyzed from starch add sweetness into soy sauce. Umami is largely caused by the presence of free amino acids.
Besides its differences from table salt in flavor, soy sauce also has many health benefits. Not only does it have nearly six times less sodium per 100 g as compared to salt, according to the USDA, it also consists of many other nutrients.
Along with pasta, wheat and other grains, gluten is found in a number of sauces such as soy sauce and tomato sauce. For sauce, buy tamari and flavour with herbs and spices that have an anti-inflammatory response. Also, always read the label of 'gluten-free' products as many are filled with other unwanted additives.
But soy sauce may have some health benefits
The news isn't all bad. Some research has shown that because it's fermented, soy sauce may help support the growth of beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract, including Lactobacillus bulgaricus, which may improve digestive health and immunity.Certain types of soy sauce - popular in Chinese cookery - have been shown to greatly reduce the levels of harmful cholesterol. Patients with high cholesterol levels given soy containing large amounts of the isoflavones found their levels reduced by 10%. Even half that concentration resulted in a significant reduction.
Soy, it turned out, contains estrogen-like compounds called isoflavones. And some findings suggested that these compounds could promote the growth of some cancer cells, impair female fertility, and mess with thyroid function.
Eating a lot of salt can cause your body to retain more water, which can show up on the scale as extra pounds. But we're not just talking about water weight here. High salt diets appear to be linked to higher body fat—in particular, the kind of fat that accumulates around your middle.
A surprising finding was that many croissants, pastries and muffins have more salt than a rasher of bacon (roughly 0.8g). Costa's raspberry and white chocolate muffin had the highest content of those tested. Also surprising was that foods regarded as healthier may be disguising high salt levels.
Kikkoman Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce only contains the four natural ingredients of soybeans, wheat, water and salt. And it's naturally brewed rather than chemically brewed.
Because soy contains phytoestrogens, men may worry about including it in their diet. However, studies do not indicate that soy negatively impacts the production of testosterone in men.
Dark Chinese soy sauce is very deep in color with high viscosity, and it contains additives such as caramel coloring and monosodium glutamate (MSG). In general, this soy sauce contains MSG and other additives used to control its strong saltiness.
Eat foods that contain probiotics.
Probiotics are live bacteria that are either the same as or similar to the ones found naturally in your gastrointestinal tract. Many fermented foods, such as miso, tempeh, soy sauce, kimchi and fresh sauerkraut also contain probiotics.Soy is unique in that it contains a high concentration of isoflavones, a type of plant estrogen (phytoestrogen) that is similar in function to human estrogen but with much weaker effects. Soy isoflavones can bind to estrogen receptors in the body and cause either weak estrogenic or anti-estrogenic activity.
Many sauces at a Chinese restaurant contain sugar. You can ask for steamed versions of some dishes and then add soy sauce, which fits within the guidelines of a well-formulated ketogenic diet. Hoisin, oyster, plum, duck, and sweet & sour sauce often have sugar as well, so we recommend that you avoid those.
10.2. 4 Sauce. Soy sauce is traditional condiment of Chinese origin and largely used in East Asia to impart an appetizing flavor to several cooked foods, as well as to help digestion. Soy sauce is made from fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and Aspergillus oryzae or Aspergillus sojae mold.
Soy Sauce Overdose Sends Man into Coma. Soy sauce is tasty, but incredibly high in sodium, which can be deadly at high levels. A young man who drank a quart of soy sauce went into a coma and nearly died from an excess of salt in his body, according to a recent case report.
