It's not always the food which we eat which is the problem, it's the sauce that we put on the food. Today we're going to be looking at probably the guiltiest condiment culprits... tomato ketchup!
I love tomato ketchup, I put it on everything. So this one hits home for me.
Tomatoes are good for you, aren't they?
Ketchup is mainly made using tomatoes. Therefore you would believe that it's not that bad for your health. All of us realize that it's also packed with sugar, but tomatoes are vegetables, correct? So at least you'll be getting the nourishment from those...
Well not when you boil them to death!
Ketchup is basically produced using incredibly over cooked tomatoes which have lost all their organic value, some water and a LOT of sugar.
The sugar added to ketchup is worth a closer look. Because, although it starts out as sugar (which is already bad) before being added to the ketchup it's refined into high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) which is much worse!
In Additional to this, it's packed with flavourings, such as MSG, that make us want to consume more.
Therefore , ketchup is bad. It's only decent ingredient (tomatoes) has long lost its value and all of the additional stuff has been linked to a great number of health issues, for example...
High Fructose Corn Syrup is linked to
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Heart Disease
- Cancer
.. and it has absolutely no nutritional value. It just makes food sweet, so people eat more.
Is MSG really bad for you?
If you do a quick search for MSG, you will find many articles saying that it has a negative rep but it isn't really that bad for you. Then you will stumble in to this little insight from Michael Galitzer...
“It’s probably one of the most harmful substances that one can eat.”
I honestly think that there's a little bit of a conspiracy here, attempting to prevent the majority of folk from finding the truth about MSG. So that we keep eating products which are filled with it.
MSG may cause 'Leaky Gut' which certainly sounds disgusting and is related to...
- Bloating
- Gas
- Diarrhea
- Stomach pain
I have to admit, on quite a few occasions I've had all of those, specifically after indulging in a yummy Chinese takeaway.
Healthier Ketchup alternatives
Anyway, back to ketchup. We love it. We would like to keep consuming it. But we don't want 'Leaky Gut'.
The best alternative to shop bought 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, there are a couple of shop-bought ketchups that are a much healthier option.
In 2010 ConAgra took out the HFCS from their tomato ketchup (Hunt's Ketchup) however they added it back in a couple of years later. Why? My guess, I think that they were seeking to cash-in on peoples growing awareness of the dangers associated with HFCS and hoping that their much healthier option would earn them a larger share of the market.
I don't for 1 minute believe that they made the decision out of concern for our health.
Obviously, it didn't do the job, simply because they put it back. But folks are constantly getting more health mindful, so maybe they'll give it one more go when they determine the public is ready for it. It's well worth picking up a bottle and checking out the ingredients every so often.
Another option, but not a tasty one, is to use tomato puree. In recipes this will work perfectly, but as a condiment it's really not too nice. Tomato puree is not as sweet and has a very powerful flavor. But it's worth a try, add some sweetener and see what you come up with. I'm pretty sure that anything you do will be a lot healthier than any kind of branded ketchup!
Just don't boil all the nutrition away, stuff it with HFCS and lace it with 'gut-leaking' MSG! Aside of that, experiment... even adding a touch of (deadly) sugar will still create a much healthier ketchup compared to the one you're likely using now.
Tomato puree (mixed along with a sweetener) is a good option to making your own ketchup since it lasts a great deal longer than fresh tomatoes, occupies much less room in your refrigerator and its simple to rustle up in a few seconds as required. Try it, and let me know how it goes.