Often it's not the food we eat which is the problem, it is the stuff we slather over the food. Today we will be taking a look at most likely the guiltiest condiment culprits... ketchup!
I love tomato ketchup, I use it everything. So this one is very personal for me.
Tomatoes are pretty nutritious, correct?
Ketchup is primarily made using tomatoes. So you would probably think that it's not too bad for your health. We all recognize that it's also packed with sugar, but tomatoes are veggies, correct? So at least you're getting the nutrients from those...
Well not when they've been boiled to death!
Ketchup is essentially made from incredibly over cooked tomatoes that have shed all of their natural worth, some water and plenty of sugar.
The sugar that you find in ketchup is worth a closer inspection. Because, although this starts 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 more damaging to your health!
On top of this, it is packed with flavourings, such as MSG, which make us want to use more.
Therefore , ketchup is not good. It's only decent ingredient has been robbed of its value and all of the additional stuff has been linked to many medical issues, such as...
High Fructose Corn Syrup is linked 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?
If you do a quick search on MSG, you will discover many articles saying that it has a negative reputation but it isn't really that bad for your health. Then you will stumble into this quote from Michael Galitzer...
“It’s probably one of the most harmful substances that one can eat.”
I honestly believe that there's a little bit of a conspiracy going on, seeking to avoid the majority of folk from finding the truth about MSG. So that we carry on eating products which are full of it.
MSG can trigger 'Leaky Gut' which sounds disgusting and is connected to...
- Bloatedness
- Gas
- Diarrhea
- Stomach pain
I have got to admit, on numerous occasions I've had all those, specifically after indulging in a greasy takeaway.
Healthy Tomato Ketchup options
Anyway, let's get back to ketchup. We love it. We would like to keep consuming it. But we don't want 'Leaky Gut'.
The greatest alternative to shop purchased ketchup is to make your own.
If you fancy giving that a try, then you'll enjoy this video from "Cooking With Plants"
In case you simply don't have time for that, there are a couple of shop-bought ketchups which are a much healthier option.
Back in 2010 ConAgra took out the HFCS from their ketchup (Hunt's Ketchup) but sadly they put it back a couple of years later. Why? Well, I feel that they were seeking to cash in on many peoples growing awareness of the dangers associated with HFCS and hoping that their more healthy option would earn them a increased share of the market.
I don't for 1 moment think that they made the decision out of genuine concern the public's health.
Obviously, it didn't work, because they added it back. But men and women are constantly getting more health conscious, so maybe they might give it an additional go when they think that the general public is ready for it. It's certainly worth picking up a bottle and checking out the ingredients every once in a while.
Another option, but not a very tasty one, is to use tomato puree. Within recipes this will work perfectly, but like a sauce it's a bit strong. Tomato puree is not as sweet and has an extremely strong flavor. But it's worth a try, put in a little sweetener and it'll be much more agreeable. I'm pretty sure that whatever you do will be a lot healthier than any branded ketchup!
Just don't boil all the nutrients away, fill it with HFCS and lace it with 'gut-leaking' MSG! Aside of that, go crazy... even adding some (deadly) sugar will still create a better ketchup compared to the one you're using now.
Tomato puree (mixed with a sweetener) is a good alternate to making your own ketchup because it lasts a great deal longer than fresh tomatoes, occupies less room within your fridge and its easy to rustle up in a couple of seconds as required. Try it, and let me know how it tastes.