Many times it's not the food which we consume which is stopping us from losing weight, it is the sauce that we slather over the food. Today we'll be looking at most likely the biggest condiment culprits... ketchup!
I really like ketchup, I put it on pretty much everything. So this one strikes a personal chord for me.
Tomatoes are pretty nutritious, correct?
Ketchup is primarily made using tomatoes. Therefore you would believe that it's not that bad for your health. We all recognize that it's also packed with sugar, but tomatoes are vegetables, correct? So at least you'll be receiving the nutrition from those...
Unfortunately not when they've been boiled to within an inch of their lives!
Ketchup is basically produced using very over cooked tomatoes which have shed all their natural worth, some water and a LOT of sugar.
The sugar in ketchup may be worth a closer inspection. Because, although this starts out as sugar (which is already unhealthy) before being added to the ketchup it's processed into high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) which is much worse!
In Additional to this, it's packed with flavourings, such as MSG, which make us want to use more.
Therefore , ketchup is unhealthy. It's only nutritious ingredient has been robbed of its value and all of the additional stuff has been linked to countless medical issues, like...
HFCS is linked to
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Heart Disease
- Cancer
.. and it has absolutely no nutritional benefit. It just makes food sweet, so you eat more.
Is MSG really bad for your health?
If you do a quick search on MSG, you will find plenty of articles stating that it has a negative reputation but it isn't really that bad for you. Then you'll stumble upon this quote from Michael Galitzer...
“It’s probably one of the most harmful substances that one can eat.”
I truthfully think that there's a bit of a conspiracy here, seeking to avoid the majority of folk from obtaining the reality about MSG. So that we keep eating products which are full of it.
MSG could lead to 'Leaky Gut' which sounds disgusting and is connected to...
- Bloating
- Gas
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
I have got to admit, on several occasions I have had all of those, specifically after eating a yummy takeaway.
Healthy Tomato Ketchup alternatives
So, back to ketchup. We really like it. We want to keep eating it. But we don't really want 'Leaky Gut'.
The best substitute for shop purchased ketchup is to make your own.
In case you fancy giving that a try, then you'll enjoy this video from "Cooking With Plants"
In case you basically don't have time for that, there are some ketchups that are a healthier option.
Way back in 2010 ConAgra removed the HFCS from their ketchup (Hunt's Ketchup) however they added it back a couple of years later. Why? Honestly, I think that they were trying to cash in on peoples growing understanding of the dangers associated with HFCS and hoping that their healthier option would earn them a higher share of the market.
I don't for a single minute believe that they did it out of genuine concern public health.
Obviously, it didn't do the job, because they added it back in again. But folks are constantly getting more health conscious, so maybe they will give it another go when they think that the general public wants it. It's well worth picking up the bottle and checking the ingredients every once in a while.
Another option, but not really a tasty one, is to switch out your reglular ketchup with tomato puree. Within recipes this will work perfectly, but as a condiment it's a bit strong. Tomato puree isn't as sweet and has an extremely strong flavor. But give it a try, add some sweetener (such as Stevia) and it'll be much more palitable. I'm pretty certain that anything you do will be a lot healthier than any kind of branded ketchup!
Simply don't boil all the nutrients away, load it with HFCS and lace it with 'gut-leaking' MSG! Aside of that, experiment... possibly even adding a few spoons of (deadly) sugar will still create a better ketchup than the one you're most likely using now.
Tomato puree (mixed along with a sweetener) is a good alternate to making your own ketchup as it lasts a great deal longer than fresh tomatoes, occupies less room within your refrigerator and its easy to rustle up in a few seconds when required. Try it, and let me know how it goes.