In many cases it's not the food we eat that's the issue, it's the things we put on to the food. Today we're gonna be considering one of the most significant condiment culprits… ketchup!
I enjoy ketchup, I slop it over everything. And so this hits home for me.
Tomatoes are good for your health, aren't they?
Ketchup is essentially made up of tomatoes. This means you would certainly think that it's not too bad. We know that it's also packed with sugar, yet tomatoes are veggies, right? So at least you're receiving the nutrients from those.
Well not once you cook them to death!
Ketchup is actually made of incredibly over cooked tomatoes which have lost every bit of their nutrients, some water and a LOT of sugar.
The sugar in ketchup will probably be worth a closer look. Because of the fact that, whilst it starts out as sugar (and that is already undesirable) before it is added to the bottle it's refined into high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and this is quite a bit worse! As well as this, you have flavourings, such as MSG, that make us desire it a lot more.
How MSG got me a kiss!
It would appear that MSG is in pretty much everything everything. I remember many years ago, I was on a date with a stunning girl I'd been besotted with for the better part of a year. We were sharing Malteasers and she challenged me to list the ingredients.
I gave her one or two of the obvious ones, then I rolled the malteaser around inside my mouth like attempting to indentify the next flavour, before declaring 'monosodium glutamate?' She instantaneously scrutinised the contents and was stunned by my super-tasting ability, which earned me a kiss!!
I'm probably the one person on this planet that's ever got anything decent out of MSG (well me as well as the whole food production industry who use it to make us addicted to their products!)
And so, ketchup is bad for you. The single good ingredient has long shed its worth and all the other ingredients has been connected to several health conditions.
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is associated with:
- Morbid obesity
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Cancers
…and it provides minimal nutritional value. It only makes stuff sweeter, which means you eat more of it.
Is MSG seriously unhealthy?
If you do a search on MSG, you can find a ton of articles declaring that it has a poor rep but it really isn't that bad for you. Then you'll stumble upon this quote:
“It’s probably one of the most harmful substances that one can eat.”
Michael Galitzer MD
I actually believe there's a little bit of a conspiracy going on, intending to prevent the majority of folk from realizing the facts about MSG. In order that we continue consuming products which are loaded with it.
MSG can cause something called a 'Leaky Gut' which sounds horrible as well as being associated with
- Bloating
- Wind
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal cramps
I have to acknowledge, on more than one occasion I've suffered with all those, particularly after stuffing myself with a fatty takeaway.
Natural Ketchup options
So, let's get back to ketchup. We like it. And we want to continue eating it. But we don't really want 'Leaky Gut'
The better alternative to store bought ketchup is usually to prepare your own.
If you fancy giving that a go, you should have a look at this video clip:
How to make your very own simple fast and extremely healthy ketchup
If you just don't have enough time to do that, there are a selection of store purchased ketchups that are a better option.
Back in 2010 ConAgra took out the HFCS from their ketchup (Hunt's Ketchup) yet they put it back a couple years later. The reason? Well I think that they were looking to cash in on peoples growing awareness of the risks of HFCS and expecting that their healthy option may gain them a better share of the market.
I don't for a second think that they did it out of concern for our well being.
Of course, it didn't work, because they put it back. But the public is increasingly becoming more health conscious, so quite possibly they'll give it another go once they believe that the public is ready for it. It's surely worth grabbing a bottle and reviewing the ingredients from time to time.
Why not try tomato puree
Another alternative, but definitely not a very tasty one, could be to use tomato puree as a substitute for ketchup. In recipes this works fine, but as a condiment it's really not as good. Tomato puree isn't so sweet and also has an exceptionally intense flavour. But play with it, include some sweeter and just see what you can come up with. I'm fairly certain that whatever you end up with it'll be a good deal healthier compared with any branded ketchup!
As long as you don't cook all the nutrients away, cram it with HFCS or lace it with 'gut-leaking' MSG! Aside of this, you can go crazy, even adding some sugar and you'll still get a much healthier ketchup compared to the one you're eating now.
Tomato puree (along with a sweetener) is a superb alternative to producing your own ketchup because it usually lasts much longer than fresh tomatoes, needs significantly less room in your fridge and it is simple to rustle up in a couple of seconds as needed. They it, and let em know how it goes.