Quite often it's not the foods we eat that's the issue, it's the things we use to cover the food. Today we're going to be checking out one of the biggest condiment culprits… ketchup!
I really like ketchup, I lavish it over everything. And so this really hits home to me.
Tomatoes are healthy, aren't they?
Ketchup is principally made out of tomatoes. Which means you would certainly suppose it's not too bad. We realize that it's also rich in sugar, yet tomatoes are veggies, right? So at least you're gaining the nutritional value from those.
Well not when you boil them to death!
Ketchup is actually prepared from extremely over cooked tomatoes which have lost almost all their vitamins and minerals, some water as well as a LOT of sugar.
The sugar in ketchup may be worth a more detailed look. Because of the fact that, even though it starts out as sugar (and this is already bad) before it is added to the bottle it's processed into high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and this is significantly worse! On top of this, we get flavourings, including MSG, that often makes us desire it a lot more.
The time that MSG won me a kiss!
It seems that MSG is in absolutely everything. I remember several years ago, I was on a date with a stunning girl I'd been obsessed with for the better part of a year. We were feeding each other Malteasers and she challenged me to guess the ingredients.
I riddled off a few of the obvious ones, and then I rolled the malteaser around in my mouth as though looking to pick up the next flavor, before saying 'monosodium glutamate?' She quickly scrutinised the contents and was stunned by my super-tasting ability, which earned me a kiss!!
I'm most likely the only person on this planet that's actually got something good out of MSG (well me and the whole food production industry that use it to get us hooked on their products!)
So, ketchup is bad for you. The single good ingredient has long shed its worth and most of the additional ingredients have been linked to countless health concerns.
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is associated with:
- Being overweight
- Diabetic issues
- Hypertension
- Cancers
…and it offers minimal nutrition. It only helps make stuff sweet, which means you eat more of them.
Is MSG seriously harmful?
If you do a search on MSG, you will discover plenty articles stating that it has a poor rep but it really isn't that harmful. And then you'll stumble upon this quote:
“It’s probably one of the most harmful substances that one can eat.”
Michael Galitzer MD
I seriously feel as if there's a little bit of a conspiracy happening, trying to prevent most people from learning the facts about MSG. To ensure we continue eating foods that are loaded with it.
MSG can lead to something referred to as a 'Leaky Gut' which sounds vile as well as being linked to
- Feeling bloated
- Wind
- Diarrhea
- Stomach cramps
I have to say that, on many occasions I've suffered from all these, especially after indulging in a greasy takeaway.
Natural Ketchup options
So, let's get back to ketchup. We adore it. And we want to keep using it. However we don't want 'Leaky Gut'
The best alternative to store bought ketchup is to prepare your own.
For those that fancy giving that a try, then watch this video:
Steps to make your very own simple fast and super healthy ketchup
If you simply don't have time for that, there are some store purchased ketchups that happen to be a better solution.
In 2010 ConAgra eliminated the HFCS from their ketchup (Hunt's Ketchup) however they added it back a couple of years later. The reason why? Well I feel that they were expecting to cash in on public growing awareness of the hazards of HFCS and hoping that their healthy alternative could earn them a better share of the market.
I don't for a second think that they actually did it out of concern for our well being.
Obviously, it didn't work, as they put it back. But people are constantly becoming more health aware, so chances are they'll give it another go once they believe that the public is ready for it. It's clearly well worth picking up a bottle and reviewing the ingredients every once in awhile.
Give Tomato Puree a try
An extra possibility, although not an incredibly tasty one, could be to use tomato puree as a substitute for ketchup. In recipes this works perfectly, however as a condiment it's really not as good. Tomato puree isn't as sweet and also has a quite powerful flavour. However spend time with it, add some sweeter and just see what you come up with. I'm fairly certain that whatever you produce it'll be considerably more nutritional as compared with any shop bought ketchup!
So long as you don't boil all of the nutrients away, fill it with HFCS or lace it with 'gut-leaking' MSG! Aside of this, go nuts, even adding some (deadly) sugar and you'll still make a healthier ketchup when compared with the one you're using now.
Tomato puree (coupled with a sweetener) is a fantastic alternative to making your own ketchup since it can last considerably longer than fresh tomatoes, occupies significantly less space in your refrigerator and also its easy to rustle up in a couple of seconds when you need it. They it, and let em know how it goes.