Favorite Football Snacks- Week #1: Buffalo Sauce

So today is the first NFL game of the season! In honor of my favorite sport to watch on TV, I'm beginning a new series that breaks down a bit of nutritional information on our favorite Football snacks.

The number one football snack among my friends seems to be Buffalo Chicken Dip. Most people make there own dip, so I decided to break it down to the primary ingredient- buffalo sauce.

What the heck is buffalo sauce?

Basically- Hot sauce, butter, and vinegar (no wonder it taste so good) and a few extra seasonings that vary per recipe.

So let's look at the most popular brand- Frank's Red Hot.

Source: Frank's Red Hot Website

THE GOOD: This is a low calorie, low fat sauce with very little additives. The vinegar is natural preservative. Homemade buffalo sauce tends to have butter (calories) and many add flour as a thickener (more calories). This product is gluten free and vegan.

THE BAD: This product has pretty high sodium levels. (This is a theme we will see through most of our favorite football snacks.) It also has no nutritional value.

THE UGLY: "Natural Butter Type Flavor." What the heck is this? After a couple searches, I'm no closer to an answer. According to Frank's reps it contain no dairy or animal products. Which leads most people online to jump to the conclusion that it is plant sourced. However, the term "natural" is not controlled by the FDA AND most chemicals are "naturally" sourced. However, it is deemed low concern by the FDA (http://www.ewg.org/foodscores/ingredients/7786-NaturalButterFlavor).

A few notes about the ingredients:
Canola oil- often genetically modified, this product does not have a no-GMO's label
Xantham Gum- a naturally derived stabilizer and thickener
Sodium Benzoate-  preservative (generally perceived to be harmless)

THE VERDICT: In the realm of processed food, I'd give this sauce an A-/B+. If you make your own sauce at home it will not be as low calorie due to the use of butter (why companies use imitations in the first place). If you want to take the extra time to cook your own buffalo sauce- go for it! But Frank's is a low fat option, and friendly to all those vegans out there (who probably won't be having buffalo chicken dip).