Tomatoes are tangy and delicious fruits that are used in almost every cuisine around the world. One of the most popular ways to use tomatoes in the US is to make ketchup.
While homemade, sugar free ketchup can be healthy when made with the proper ingredients, store bought brands like Heinz can pose some health risks because of added sweeteners and other ingredients. Let’s look at 3 reasons to avoid Heinz ketchup at all costs.
Distilled vinegar and sugar:
This brand of ketchup contains an ingredient called distilled vinegar. There is also 4 grams of sugar per serving, each serving being a tablespoon. Distilled vinegar is created from GMO corn that is grown with pesticides and other chemicals.
Mass amounts of sugar typically come from GMO beet sugar, which is also grown in pesticides. The amount of sugar in Heinz ketchup can cause blood sugar spikes, which is a risk factor for diabetes.
High fructose corn syrup:
Heinz ketchup is packed with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which is even more toxic than table sugar. It is well known that sugar in any form (including high fructose corn syrup) causes obesity and disease. A new MRI technique shows that cancer cells literally feed on sugar.
Like cane sugar, HFCS is also made from glucose and fructose, but not in an equal ratio like sugar. There is also no chemical bond in HFCS between glucose and fructose like there is in sugar.
This lack of bond causes HFCS to be absorbed more quickly into the bloodstream. It then goes straight to the liver and triggers lipogenesis, which is the production of fats in the liver. This causes a condition called fatty liver, which affects 70 million people.
HFCS is also known to contain contaminants like mercury, which is a very toxic heavy metal.
No nutrition:
Heinz ketchup contains no nutrition. There is no dietary fiber in it to help control the blood sugar spikes from all the sugar in the ketchup. There are also no proteins in this ketchup. The combination of zero nutrition and high amounts of pesticides, genetically modified ingredients, loads of sugar, and possible mercury can pose some serious risks for overall health.
For a healthier alternative to store-bought ketchup, try our homemade sugar-free ketchup recipe.
Note: None of the information in our website is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any illness or disease. The content on our website is for educational purposes only.
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For a homemade sugar-free ketchup.
For the dangers of high fructose corn syrup.
For the dangers of Splenda.
REFERENCES:
1. “In Vivo Imaging of Glucose Uptake and Metabolism in Tumors.” Nature.com. Nature Medicine, 07 July 2013. Web. 11 Jul 2015.
2. “Warning: Avoid Heinz Ketchup Like The Plague, Here’s 3 Research Backed Reasons Why.” Healthy Wild and Free. Healthy Wild and Free, 30 June 2015. Web. 11 July 2015.
