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"Hey there, hot stuff!\\n\\n\\n\\nOn Wednesday, the folks at Tabasco offered HealthySelf a virtual tour of their Avery Island, La., headquarters, where they have been brewing and bottling their iconic hot sauce since the 1860s.\\n\\n\\n\\nThroughout the hour-long tour, we were impressed by the [healthy perks](/health) hidden in that slim red bottle. Here are 5 good-for-you reasons to hit the sauce:\\n\\n\\n\\n1. It's pure. Tabasco has zero [calories](/fooddiet), zero salt and zero artificial sketchiness. That beautiful color isn't dye -- it's the true color of the peppers, which the Avery Island hot sauce engineers match against a wooden dowel to make sure they're the perfect shade of ripe red. The only ingredients: Aged pepper mash, distilled vinegar and a touch of Avery Island salt.\\n\\n2. It's not packed with salt. One bottle of Tabasco is less than 2 percent salt. Not all hot sauces are this low in sodium, so read your labels!\\n\\n\\n\\n3. It helps [stoke your metabolism](/goal). Some studies have shown that capsaicin, the compound that gives chili peppers their spicy kick, creates enough heat to raise your body temperature, which helps you [burn more calories](/fitness) -- approximately an 8 percent bump -- immediately following a meal.\\n\\n\\n\\n4. It keeps you satisfied. In one study, subjects who had hot sauce with an appetizer consumed about 200 fewer calories when [the main course](/fooddiet/recipes) came around, compared to subjects who didn't have any capsaicin.\\n\\n\\n\\n5. It makes healthy dishes extra delicious. Add hot sauce to fish, eggs, salad dressings or [barbecue](/fooddiet/2009/06/slim-down-your-cookout) sauce to add bonus flavor, minus the calories. For inspiration, [click here to browse thousands of recipes](http://www.tabasco.com/taste_tent/tabasco_recipes/index.cfm) (some of these aren't the healthiest, so get creative and steal ideas for your own low-cal versions). And here's an amazing SELF recipe for [Cajun Turkey Cheeseburgers with Tabasco Ketchup](/fooddiet/recipes/2004/12/cajun-turkey-cheeseburgers).\\n\\n\\n\\nRelated links: \\n\\n[Diet-Friendly Thanksgiving Side Dishes](/fooddiet/2010/11/diet-friendly-thanksgiving-side-dishes-slideshow#slide=1)\\n\\n[20 Superfoods for Weight Loss](/fooddiet/2008/07/foods-for-weight-loss/)\\n\\n\\n\\n[Analyze Your Diet and Create the Perfect Meal Plan](http://nutritiondata.self.com/)\\n\\n\\n\\n[Bonus: Quiz: Are You Eating Too Many Calories?](http://www.ivillage.com/are-you-eating-too-many-calories/4-q-129942?ftr=iv:self:conde)\\n\\n\\n\\n[Plus: Katy Perry's Wild Victoria's Secret Looks (Photos!)](http://www.celebuzz.com/katy-perrys-wild-victorias-secret-s273481/)\\n\\n\\n\\nDo you like Tabasco sauce?"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.self.com/story/3-healthy-reasons-to-love-hot>