Usually it's not the foods we consume that's the issue, it's the stuff we put on to the food. Today we're gonna be investigating one of the biggest condiment culprits… ketchup!
I like ketchup, I slop it over almost everything. So this hits home for me.
Tomatoes are healthy, right?
Ketchup is mainly made out of tomatoes. Which means you might imagine that it's not too bad for you. Most of us know that it's also loaded with sugar, yet tomatoes are veggies, right? So at least you're getting the nutrients from those.
Well not after you cook them to death!
Ketchup is essentially prepared from extremely over cooked tomatoes which have lost most of their nutritional value, some water and a LOT of sugar.
The sugar in ketchup will probably be worth a deeper look. Due to the fact that, whilst it starts off as sugar (and this is already undesirable) before it is added to the bottle it's refined into high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) which is quite a bit worse! As well as this, you have flavourings, such as MSG, that make us desire it more.
How MSG won me a kiss!
It seems that MSG is in pretty much everything everything. I recall many years ago, I was on a date with a super hot girl I'd been chasing for the better part of a year. We were feeding each other Malteasers and she challenged me to identify the ingredients.
I said 1 or 2 of the obvious ones, and then I rolled the malteaser around in my mouth as though trying to indentify a different flavour, before announcing 'monosodium glutamate?' She instantaneously checked the ingredients and was shocked by my super-tasting skills, which earned me a kiss!!
I'm most likely the one guy on the planet that's ever gotten anything good from MSG (well me and the whole food production industry using it to get us hooked on their products!)
So, ketchup is not good for you. The only healthy ingredient has long lost its worth and all of the other ingredients has been connected with a lot of health problems.
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is linked to:
- Excessive weight
- Diabetic issues
- Heart Problems
- Cancer
…and it offers absolutely no nutrition. It simply makes stuff sweet, to ensure you consume more of it.
Is MSG seriously bad?
If you do a quick search on MSG, there are actually several articles declaring that it has a bad reputation but it really isn't that harmful. Then you'll disover this quote:
“It’s probably one of the most harmful substances that one can eat.”
Michael Galitzer MD
I seriously feel that there's a little bit of a conspiracy going on, trying to prevent many folk from uncovering the facts about MSG. To make certain that we continue consuming products that happen to be brimming with it.
MSG may cause something called a 'Leaky Gut' which sounds vile and is linked to
- Feeling bloated
- Wind
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal cramps
I have to acknowledge, on many occasions I've suffered from all those, particularly after stuffing myself with a fatty takeaway.
Healthier Ketchup solutions
OK, back to ketchup. We adore it. We want to carry on having it. But we don't want 'Leaky Gut'
The best alternative to store bought ketchup can be to produce your very own.
If you should fancy giving that a go, you should take a look at this video clip:
Making your own easy fast and ultra nutritious ketchup
In case you simply don't have enough time to do that, there are also a selection of shop bought ketchups that happen to be a healthier selection.
Back in 2010 ConAgra took out the HFCS from their ketchup (Hunt's Ketchup) however put it back a couple of years later. The reason why? Well I believe that they were attempting to cash in on peoples increasing awareness of the potential risks of HFCS and expecting that their healthy option could gain them a higher piece of the market.
I don't for one second feel that they actually did it because of concern for our well-being.
Needless to say, it didn't work, because they put it back. However folks are invariably getting more health conscious, so most likely they'll give it another go when they believe that the public is ready for it. It's definitely worthwhile grabbing a bottle and reading the ingredients every so often.
Why not try tomato puree
An alternate possibility, but certainly not an incredibly tasty one, might be to use tomato puree as a substitute for ketchup. In recipes this works perfectly, but as a condiment it's simply not the same. Tomato puree isn't as sweet and also has a very powerful flavour. But spend time with it, add just a little sweeter and see what you come up with. I'm fairly sure that whatever you create it'll be a lot healthier in comparison with any shop bought ketchup!
As long as you don't cook all of the nutrients away, load it with HFCS and then lace it with 'gut-leaking' MSG! Aside of that, go crazy, even adding some (deadly) sugar and you'll likely still make a better ketchup when compared with the one you're eating now.
Tomato puree (along with a sweetener) is an excellent alternative to producing your own ketchup since it usually lasts a good bit longer than fresh tomatoes, occupies considerably less space in your fridge and it is simple to rustle up in a few seconds when needed. They it, and let em know how it goes.