Eating too much ketchup can be very unhealthy in the long run, contrary to popular belief. Along with mayonnaise, mustard, ranch and barbecue sauces among many others, ketchup – also known as tomato sauce, red sauce or Tommy sauce – is a popular condiment, and not only in the United States. Most people dip or even ‘bath’ their hamburgers, fries, sandwiches, and grilled or fried meats with ketchup. Ketchup is also used as a base for other sauces and can be found in most restaurants and in almost every household. Many children today even consider food to be just a convenient way to eat ketchup. And that’s unfortunately not much of an exaggeration. Many children will eat ketchup indiscriminately if you let them. So, the question is whether this obsession with ketchup poses a health hazard. Most of us assume that ketchup isn’t that bad because ketchup consists mainly of tomatoes and tomatoes are good for us. So, it must be healthy, right? Actually, it is not as healthy as you may think.

Although ketchup’s main ingredient is tomato puree, it does have other ingredients. It’s those other ingredients that make ketchup a real health hazard. Sugar, vinegar and salt are some of the other main ingredients found in ketchup.

Sugar & Spice

First, ketchup is loaded with sugar disguised as “fructose”. Depending on the brand, 25 to 35% of ketchup is sugar. Most people think of fructose as a natural fruit sugar. After all, it’s one of the principal sugars (along with glucose and sucrose) in fruits. But in fact, the amount of fructose in most fruits is relatively small, compared with other dietary sources. Fruit also contains many beneficial nutrients, including fiber, which slows the absorption of sugars.

The fructose found in processed foods, however, is another story. Although Americans have actually decreased their intake of sucrose (table sugar), the amount of fructose in the American diet has ballooned over the past 30 years. The reason is that food makers have replaced sucrose (garden-variety table sugar) with “high-fructose corn syrup” (HFCS) to sweeten foods and beverages. Since the early 1980s, the average person’s consumption of HFCS has more than tripled, from about 19 pounds to 60 pounds per person annually.

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Despite the natural-sounding ring of fructose, HFCS does not come from fruit. Instead, it’s a highly purified blend of sugars (typically 55 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose) derived from corn. Because the fructose in HFCS is part of a man-made blend (as opposed to the natural compound of sugars found in fruit), the body metabolizes it very differently from other sugars.

In a study published in the June 2008 Journal of Nutrition, researchers reported that increased consumption of fructose doubled the subjects’ lipogenesis — that is, their ability to make fat — when compared with glucose. In addition, the fructose led to higher levels of triglycerides, a blood fat that is an independent risk factor for heart disease. These findings confirmed other research along the same line.
Another study, published in the July 2008 Archives of Internal Medicine, found that African-American women who regularly consumed either soft drinks (sweetened with HFCS) or fruit juices were far more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. What’s the problem with fruit juices? They are a more concentrated source of sugar and they lack the fiber of fresh fruit that would blunt increases in blood sugar. Worse, some brands of juice even have added HFCS and more sugars overall than soft drinks!

Fructose might also alter appetite, increasing hunger and cravings for sweet foods. According to some research, fructose decreases levels of leptin, a hormone that normally suppresses hunger. At the same time, it raises levels of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates hunger. The result is that people feel hungrier, eat more, and pack on pounds.

Some researchers have argued that the consumption of fructose by children may program developing brains with an intense desire for sweets, leading to a lifelong over-consumption of sweets and an increased risk of overweight, diabetes, and related health problems.

Solution: refrain from added sweeteners (HFCS, fructose, sucrose, glucose, corn syrup) and satisfy your sweet-tooth with the sweetness from whole fruit. Fruit provides a wealth of good nutrition — especially high-fiber, non-starchy fruits such as berries, nectarines, and apples. Even more importantly, eliminate (or at least drastically reduce) the consumption of soft drinks and fruit juices. A typical 12-ounce soft drink, sweetened with HFCS, provides the equivalent of 12 teaspoons of sugars and about 150 calories. Some brands of fruit juice are even worse. Bottom line: If you see the word fructose on a product label, think twice.

Let’s get back to ketchup…besides the overload of sugar in the form of HFCS, ketchup also contains several spices which are usually not listed, except for the onion powder. These spices most likely do not cause a health hazard.

High Sodium, High Blood Pressure

Ketchup is high in sodium. One tablespoon can contain up to 190 milligrams of sodium and it’s rare that someone only uses one tablespoon. Combined with the many other places that sodium appears in your diet, that can be a huge problem. So, if you have high blood pressure or want to limit your intake of sodium for other reasons, ketchup might not be the right condiment for you. The good news is that there are brands, such as Hunt’s, that have a no salt added version of their ketchup. However, don’t substitute ketchup with steak, Worcestershire, barbecue or cocktail sauces. They have even more sodium than ketchup does.

Vinegar

Vinegar is believed to help emulsify fat and maintain a healthy blood sugar level, but vinegar is also very acidic. Be aware that your body only functions optimally in an alkaline environment and that an acidic body is grounds for multiple health problems and diseases. For more information on acidity, alkaline forming foods and pH-balance please review the related articles on this website.

Tomatoes and Lycopene

There’s nothing wrong with tomatoes, especially when they are organic. Everyone always talks about the lycopene in tomatoes and how it’s beneficial to prevent prostate cancer in men, and that’s completely true BUT the amount of lycopene in your ketchup won’t do the job. You will need to supplement with an organic tomato concentrate.

Excellent Homemade Ketchup

Instead of indulging on the commercial ketchups that fatten you and your loved-ones, elevate your blood pressure and acidify your body, try and make some of your own ketchup…it’s easy and tasty, but most of all FREE of salt, FREE of man-made sugar and FREE of colorings and preservatives. It’s much CHEAPER too (about 70 cents for 12 ounces compared the $3 for a small bottle in the store)!

• 6 ounce can no-salt-added tomato paste
• 1/3 cup tap water
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 pinch cloves
• 1 pinch allspice
• 1/8 cayenne pepper
• 1/3 cup brown sugar

In a medium bowl combine all of the ingredients with a wire whisk. Blend well. Scrape the mixture into a container and chill overnight to blend the flavors. Oh, and yes I added some vinegar…just make sure you learn to eat ‘The Alkaline Way’ and keep your body slightly alkaline!
Recipe: Copyright Hillbilly Housewife 2005-2007

I know what you’re thinking…what if I’m at a restaurant or some other place? Well, I guess you won’t take your homemade ketchup everywhere. I recommend you either substitute the ketchup with pure tomato concentrate or spaghetti sauce; or at least limit the amount of ketchup you use. Parents: do NOT let your child squeeze that bottle of ketchup ad libidum. Let them have a little ketchup with their food, but don’t let them have a little food with their ketchup!

Yours in Optimal Health,
Dr. Mike.

Resources:

Challem Jack, Fructose: friend or foe. Parks EJ, LE Skokan, MT Timlin, et al. 2008. Dietary sugars stimulate fatty acid synthesis in adults. Journal of Nutrition 138:1039-1046. Havel PJ. 2006. Dietary fructose: implications for dysregulation of energy homeostasis and lipid/carbohydrate metabolism. Nutrition Reviews 63:133-157. Teff KL, SS Elliott, M Tschop, et al. 2004. Dietary fructose reduces circulation insulin and leptin, attenuated postprandial suppression of ghrelin, and increases triglycerides in women. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 89:2963-2972. Bray G. 2004. Reply to NJ Krilanovich. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 79:538-539.

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