Ketchup-Have or Not

Tymeshia
Tymeshia Posts: 194 Member
in Food and Nutrition
We know Ketchup has sugar, but what else is hiding? Just the other day, I was logging some Ketchup, and to my surprise, "sodium" and lots of it.....I had no idea that for every teaspoon of ketchup, there are 150mg of sodium....that is huge when most people who eat ketchup have at least 3 or more servings per use...For anyone who is borderline or has high blood pressure.....most can only have 1500 mg sodium daily and you might be spending most on just Ketchup

Replies

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,943 Member
    Well, yes: it's a hyperprocessed food. There's lots of sugar in it and lots of salt. That's why it's so palatable. I just did a quick check on the website of a local supermarket (Europe): Heinz has the highest amount of sugar and salt. Supermarket own brands have less of both; probably the reason why they taste less good.
  • MacLowCarbing
    MacLowCarbing Posts: 350 Member
    Yeah, I was a big ketchup lover lol. No wonder, it's got such bad stuff and I'm a food addict.

    Every now & then when I feel the urge, like if I'm in the mood for really good burgers and I'm going all out making flourless buns and all, I'll make ketchup with some plain tomato sauce & artificial sugar and some spices.
  • loulee997
    loulee997 Posts: 273 Member
    Tymeshia wrote: »
    We know Ketchup has sugar, but what else is hiding? Just the other day, I was logging some Ketchup, and to my surprise, "sodium" and lots of it.....I had no idea that for every teaspoon of ketchup, there are 150mg of sodium....that is huge when most people who eat ketchup have at least 3 or more servings per use...For anyone who is borderline or has high blood pressure.....most can only have 1500 mg sodium daily and you might be spending most on just Ketchup

    I love ketchup. I have high blood pressure. I try to only eat once a week. I also put a small amount on the plate and dip my food in. You use less ketchup if you dip food rather than pour it on food.

    They do make reduced-sodium ketchup, but I do not like the taste. You might try it though, you may like it.

  • MsCzar
    MsCzar Posts: 1,071 Member
    I make my own ketchup along with my own salsa and taco sauce. The ketchup has some salt and sugar, but I use it sparingly once in a great while.
  • PAPYRUS3
    PAPYRUS3 Posts: 13,259 Member
    I can't stand ketchup...however, I get that 'sodium' kick with all the kimchi/saurerkraut and mustards that I am addicted to...
  • zamphir79
    zamphir79 Posts: 21 Member
    I like mixing ketchup and mustard together. I call it red and yellow sauce.
  • PeachHibiscus
    PeachHibiscus Posts: 163 Member
    I don't eat enough ketchup to worry about it.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,943 Member
    Well, the advantage of highly processed stuff with lots of salt is that it's often still good way past the best-by date. I eat so little ketchup that even a small bottle of Heinz lasts me years. :D
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    PeachHibiscus wrote: »
    I don't eat enough ketchup to worry about it.

    Ditto. Plus unless I eat extra salt I have low blood pressure.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,225 Member
    I'm having the ketchup, usually in quantity, 4-8 tablespoons, depending. (Unlike wolfman, I do drown certain foods in it.) It's only maybe 2-3 times a week, though, tops.

    Do most people eat that big a serving? My friends usually react with surprise if they see me use that much ketchup on something, which makes me think that's an unusual serving.

    I agree with wolfman that claiming there's "hidden sugar" (or hidden sodium) when it's right there in the ingredients and the nutrition label . . . well, that's odd to me.

    I know that some people avoid sugar like religion, but in a personal sense I don't really get the alarm about ketchup and sugar. I do understand that sugar can be appetite-triggering for some individuals, but ketchup isn't appetite-triggering for me.

    Also, there are unsweetened ketchup brands. (I use one at home, and the one I usually buy tastes great: I think they need to use better-quality tomatoes, because the role of sugar in ketchup is in part to balance the acidity.)

    Beyond that, ketchup still is not IMO a high-calorie food, and it's mostly concentrated tomatoes.

    FWIW, the unsweetened brand I buy has 1g sugar per tablespoon (inherent, not added), 10 calories, and 105mg of sodium. Looking at other people's diaries here, they make choices that I don't prefer that amount to way more sugar and calories (even sodium) than that (which is fine - their call). If I want to spend some sugar/sodium allowance on ketchup, I think that's OK, too.

    I get that people with high blood pressure may need to limit salt/sodium, so the ketchup would need to be limited. I'm lucky that my BP's been fine since weight loss.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,988 Member
    I just had an 8 egg omelet this morning along with about 3 tablespoons of ketchup. Luckily for me I don't have high blood pressure, diabetes, or any other issue with ketchup. I put that *kitten* on so much stuff.

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  • SafariGalNYC
    SafariGalNYC Posts: 1,484 Member
    @Tymeshia Depends what type of ketchup one is using.

    The one in my kitchen is 105 mg per tablespoon. No added sugar.

    If you are a ketchup fan / maybe try a few healthier brands esp for your low sodium needs?
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,943 Member
    When I decide to make a burger I usually take about 2tbs of ketchup. Unless I make some kind of tsatsiki or other yoghurt-based stuff for it.
  • perryc05
    perryc05 Posts: 226 Member
    It tastes good because it contains most tastes we recognise all at once -- sweet, salty, tangy, umamami -- and it's all there in an additictive balance. It can also make substandard food taste better. But yeah in order to deliver that big flavour hit it needs to be high in a salt and sugar, Like a lot of things it's probably more about the portion than anything.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    You learn something every day. Like @AnnPT77 loves ketchup and I'm betting she's good at fitting it into her eating plan. Yes, you can do that! And, yes, there's low-sodium ketchup.

    But, there's also home-made or gourmet canned ketchups. I ate at a nice restaurant once and they served a burger with a small bowl of house-made ketchup. It was heavenly! I aspire to have a burger and fries party and serve some version of home-made ketchup, perhaps loosely based on this:

    https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/232397/homemade-ketchup/

    (I don't think it needs to cook for 12 hours. I'd lower the salt and emphasize the clove.)

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