Many times it isn't the food that we consume that is ruining our diet, it's the stuff that we add to the food. Today we will be taking a look at probably the guiltiest condiment culprits... ketchup!
I really like tomato ketchup, I put it on pretty much everythingthat I eat. So this one strikes a personal chord for me.
Tomatoes are pretty healthy, right?
Ketchup is mainly produced from tomatoes. Therefore you might think that it's not too bad for your health. All of us accept that it's also packed with sugar, but tomatoes are natural veggies, right? So at the very least you'll be getting the nourishment from those...
Well not when you boil them to death!
Ketchup is basically made using really over cooked tomatoes that have now lost all of their organic worth, some water and a LOT of sugar.
The sugar in ketchup is worth a closer inspection. Because, although this starts out as sugar (which is already pretty unhealthy) before it goes into the bottle it is processed into high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) which is much more damaging to your health!
As well as this, it is packed with flavourings, such as MSG, which make us want to eat more.
So , ketchup is not good. It's only healthy ingredient has been robbed of its value and all of the other ingredients have been linked to numerous health issues, just like...
HFCS is connected to
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Heart Disease
- Cancer
.. and it has absolutely no nutritional worth. All it does is make stuff sweet, so people eat more.
Is MSG really bad for you?
When you do a little research for MSG, there are a great deal of articles stating that it has a negative reputation but it really isn't that bad for you. Then you will stumble upon this little insight from Michael Galitzer...
“It’s probably one of the most harmful substances that one can eat.”
I honestly think that there might be a little bit of a conspiracy going on, hoping to avoid most people from finding the truth about MSG. So that we carry on eating products which are packed with it.
MSG may trigger 'Leaky Gut' which sounds revolting and is related to...
- Bloating
- Gas
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
I have to admit, on many occasions I've had all of those, specifically after indulging in a greasy Chinese takeaway.
Healthier Tomato Ketchup alternatives
So, let's get back to ketchup. We love it. We would like to keep eating it. But we don't really want 'Leaky Gut'.
The healthiest alternative to shop bought ketchup is to make your own.
In case you fancy giving that a go, then check out this video from "Cooking With Plants"
If you simply don't have time for that, a few shop-bought ketchups which are a much healthier option.
In 2010 ConAgra eliminated the HFCS from their ketchup (Hunt's Ketchup) but unfortunately they added it back a couple of years later. Why? Honestly, I believe that they were trying to cash-in on peoples growing awareness of the dangers of HFCS and hoping that their healthier option would earn them a more significant share of the ketchup market.
I don't for 1 moment feel that they made the decision out of concern for our health.
Obviously, it didn't do the job, simply because they put it back in. But men and women are constantly becoming more health conscious, so maybe they might give it an additional go when they think the public is ready for it. It's certainly worth picking up a bottle and checking the ingredients every now and then.
An additional option, but not really a tasty one, is to use tomato puree. Within recipes this will work perfectly, but like a sauce it's really not the same. Tomato puree is not as sweet and has a very powerful flavour. But try it, add some sweetener (such as Stevia) and see what you come up with. I'm pretty sure that whatever you do will be a lot healthier than any branded ketchup!
Just don't boil all of the nutrition away, fill it with HFCS and lace it with 'gut-leaking' MSG! Aside of that, experiment... even adding a touch of (deadly) sugar will still produce a much healthier ketchup than the one you're likely using now.
Tomato puree (mixed with a sweetener) is a good alternate to making your own ketchup because it lasts a lot longer than fresh tomatoes, occupies much less room within your fridge and its an easy task to rustle up in a couple of seconds when required. Try it, and let me know how it goes.