Often it's not the foods we eat that's the issue, it's the stuff we use to cover the food. Today we're going to be looking at one of the biggest condiment culprits… tomato ketchup!

I adore ketchup, I slop it over almost everything. And so this hits home for me.
Tomatoes are healthy, right?
Ketchup is basically composed of tomatoes. Which means you may possibly think it's not too unhealthy. We all know that it's also full of sugar, yet tomatoes are veggies, right? So at the least you're gaining the nutrients from those.
Well not after you cook them to death!
Ketchup is basically prepared from very over cooked tomatoes that have lost almost all of their nutrients, some water and a LOT of sugar.
The sugar in ketchup will probably be worth a more detailed look. Due to the fact that, though it begins as sugar (and that is already bad) before it goes into the bottle it's processed into high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and this is significantly worse! As well as this, we get flavourings, such as MSG, that will make us want it more.
The time that MSG earned me a kiss!
It appears as though MSG is in absolutely everything. I recall many years ago, I was on a date with a stunning girl I'd been attracted to for the better part of a year. We were sharing a bag of Malteasers and she challenged me to list the ingredients.
I said some of the obvious ones, then I rolled the malteaser around in my mouth as if trying to pick up a different flavor, before saying 'monosodium glutamate?' She quickly scrutinised the contents and was shocked by my super-tasting ability, which earned me a kiss!!
I'm more than likely the only guy on the planet that's ever got anything good from MSG (well me as well as the entire food manufacturing industry which make use of it to make us addicted to their products!)
So, ketchup is bad. Its sole decent ingredient has long shed its value and all of the additional ingredients has been associated with plenty of medical problems.
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is associated with:
…and it provides basically no nutritional value. It simply makes stuff sweet, to make sure you consume much more of it.
Is MSG genuinely bad for you?
Should you do a search on MSG, there are actually lots of articles saying that it has a bad reputation but it really isn't that bad for you. And then you'll find this quote:
“It’s probably one of the most harmful substances that one can eat.”
Michael Galitzer MD
I honestly feel like there's a little bit of a conspiracy happening, trying to prevent the majority of folk from uncovering the truth about MSG. With the intention that we keep consuming foods which are loaded with it.
MSG can lead to a little something referred to as a 'Leaky Gut' which sounds disgusting and is associated with
I have to admit, on many occasions I've had all of these, particularly after eating a greasy takeaway.
Nutritious Ketchup options
Right, let's get back to ketchup. We really like it. And we want to carry on using it. But we don't want to get 'Leaky Gut'
The most excellent alternative to store acquired ketchup would be to prepare your very own.
If you should fancy giving that a try, then watch this video tutorial:
Steps to make your very own simple quick and extremely nutritious ketchup
For those who just don't have time for that, there are also a selection of shop purchased ketchups which are a healthier choice.
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 looking to cash in on the publics growing awareness of the health risks of HFCS and anticipating that their healthier alternative may gain them a greater share of the market.
I don't for a second think that they did it due to concern for our health.
Apparently, it didn't do the job, since they put it back. But folks are constantly becoming more health conscious, so chances are they'll give it a second go as soon as they decide that the public is ready for it. It's clearly worthwhile grabbing a bottle and reviewing the ingredients every once in awhile.
Why not try tomato puree?
One more alternative, but certainly not a very tasty one, is to use tomato puree instead of ketchup. In recipes this works perfectly, but as a condiment it's honestly not as good. Tomato puree isn't so sweet and also has an extremely strong flavour. However spend time with it, include some sweeter and just see what you can come up with. I'm fairly certain that whatever you do it'll be a good deal healthier when compared with any branded ketchup!
Just don't cook all the nutrients away, stuff it with HFCS and then lace it with 'gut-leaking' MSG! Aside of this, you can go crazy, even adding some (deadly) sugar and you'll still end up with a healthier ketchup when compared with the one you're using now.
Tomato puree (along with a sweetener) can be a great alternative to making your own ketchup because it will last a good bit longer than fresh tomatoes, requires considerably less space in your refrigerator and its simple to rustle up in a couple of seconds as required. They it, and let em know how it goes.