Sometimes it's not the food that we eat that's ruining our diet, it's the sauce we slather over the food. Today we will be taking a look at one of the guiltiest condiment culprits... tomato ketchup!
I really like tomato ketchup, I put it on everythingthat I eat. So this particular one is very personal for me.
Tomatoes are healthy, correct?
Ketchup is mostly produced of tomatoes. So you should believe that it's not too bad for you. We all realize that it's also full of sugar, but tomatoes are lovely wholesome veggies, right? So at least you're going to be getting the nourishment from those...
Unfortunately not when you boil them to death!
Ketchup is essentially manufactured using very over cooked tomatoes which have unfortunately lost all of their organic worth, some water and a LOT of sugar.
The sugar that you can find in ketchup is worth a closer look. Because, although it starts out as sugar (which is already pretty bad) before it's added to the bottle it is processed into high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) which is much worse!
As well as this, it's stuffed with flavourings, such as MSG, which make us want to use more.
So , ketchup is unhealthy. It's only decent ingredient (tomatoes) has long lost any value it once had and all of the other ingredients have been linked to numerous health issues, including...
High Fructose Corn Syrup is connected to
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Heart Disease
- Cancer
.. and it has absolutely no nutritional value whatsoever. It just makes stuff sweet, so you eat more.
Is MSG really bad for you?
If you do a little research on MSG, there are plenty of articles stating that it has a bad rep but it really isn't that bad for your health. Then you'll stumble upon this from Michael Galitzer...
“It’s probably one of the most harmful substances that one can eat.”
I honestly feel that there might be a bit of a conspiracy going on, wanting to avoid the majority of people from finding the truth about MSG. So that we keep eating products that are packed with it.
MSG can trigger 'Leaky Gut' which sounds revolting and is associated with...
- Bloating
- Gas
- Diarrhea
- Stomach pain
I have to admit, on numerous occasions I've had all of those, specifically after eating a greasy takeaway.
Healthy Ketchup options
Anyway, back to ketchup. We really like it. We would like to keep consuming it. But we don't want 'Leaky Gut'.
The best substitute for shop purchased ketchup is to make some in your kitchen.
If 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, a few ketchups that are a healthier option.
In 2010 ConAgra eliminated the HFCS from their tomato ketchup (Hunt's Ketchup) but they put it back a few years later. Why? Well, I believe that they were wanting to cash in on peoples growing concern of the dangers of HFCS and hoping that their more healthy option would earn them a greater share of the market.
I don't for 1 second believe that they made the decision out of concern for our health.
Obviously, it didn't work, because they added it back in again. But men and women are constantly getting more health mindful, so maybe they'll give it one more go when they consider the general public is ready for it. It's well worth picking up a bottle and looking at the ingredients every now and then.
Another option, but not really a tasty one, is to use tomato puree. In recipes this will work perfectly, but like a condiment it's a bit strong. Tomato puree is not as sweet and has a very strong flavor. But it's worth a try, add some sweetener (such as Stevia) and it'll be much more agreeable. I'm pretty certain that whatever you do will be a great deal healthier than any branded ketchup!
Just don't boil all the nutrition away, cram it with HFCS and lace it with 'gut-leaking' MSG! Aside of that, experiment... possibly even adding a little bit of (deadly) sugar will still produce a better ketchup compared to the one you're most likely using now.
Tomato puree (mixed along with a sweetener) will be a great alternative to making your own ketchup since it lasts a lot longer than fresh tomatoes, occupies much less room in your fridge and its easy to rustle up in a few seconds as required. Try it, and let me know how you get on.