Around any product sooner or later the facts emerge, some attract you and some distract you.
Today let's discover some facts about ketchup, yes that red bottle kept on your table, and the same pouches that you get with pizza and sandwich.
We all love ketchup, not because it symbolizes love, red colour but because of the taste of the ketchup.
Ever wondered why and how it tastes the same until we finish the bottle ??
Ever wondered why the colour never changes? Why does the consistency remain the same throughout?
It is because of the tomatoes and the antioxidants that are added to the ketchup, although there are stabilizers and preservatives added but also it is fortified with the vitamins and minerals to keep them longer on the shelves. Some of the vitamins like B vitamins, vitamins K, P and PP, ascorbic acid, calcium, potassium and phosphorus are added, to give you the serotonin boost in every bite.
But the question is are the added vitamins good for your health?
The added vitamins in the ketchup are not your source of daily vitamin, and yes they are not bad for your health, one can have it as just ketchup and not the source of vitamins, because the added vitamins are in the simpler form that means they are most absorbable so they will not harm your body. But in excess it can do the opposite.
There are some rumours also that is food for your heart and skin, beacuse of the lycopene content, No it also has sodium in excess which is bad for your skin and heart, and it does not increase HDL cholesterol.
It can only be increased by exercising and not eating ketchup. There are also so many myths that are roaming around like:
They are not good for health, they are made from artificial products and not natural, ketchup is addictive, eating ketchup makes you fat and many more..
Let's break them down today, any product that is off the shelf is not healthy for you until you twist them a bit and learn to make it a little better and make it harmless. Same for ketchup if you eat in excess then myths can be true but if you know the control the myths are just myths.
Do you think apples would have stayed in the cold storage without the wax coating or or peas would have stayed in the kitchen without any refrigeration ? No right, it's the same with other things as well one needs some kind of treatment to stay longer on the shelf.
Just think of the curd without any preservatives on the shelf of the supermarket, don't you think it will become sour, the colour will changed along with the taste and smell, almost inedible and with foul smell, now think of the same curd in which they have
added some stabilizer to keep them and make it edible so that you don't have to put in extra effort to have curd and you can enjoy the taste and goodness of curd. Which one would you prefer?
For any product to keep them longer in the shelf you need preservative so that it can be edible for the time being, and sometimes the food industry also thinks for your health, the brand also has to maintain its reputation and build trust with the customer so they will never use anything in the food that is inedible, inappropriate for they country, not only for ketchup but for everyothy snack, dip or even the ready to eat products. They will always look for something to make your life easier and not diseasier. But don't take goodness for granted and overdo it.
And nobody eats ketchup for lunch, everybody just adds it as an essence in a small quantity, to just get the taste of it, which is not going to make you fat, or sick or cancer prone. Just going to give the satisfaction to your taste buds, and calm your mind, because it is still ketchup and not cocaine.
So you can use ketchup as a supplement in your food but don't make it as a main meal. So how much should be the supplement? It should not be more than 1 tsp daily.
How to find a good ketchup ?
- First and the most important it should be of recent manufacture date and not older than 2 to 3 months, they will have less oxidatively damaged molecules in them so less damage to your body and mind.
- There should not be any free water visible through the bottle.
- Leave the ketchup if it contains so many ingredients and you have not heard them they are often misleading.
- The preservatives added should not be alcohol based.
- Sugar in the form of glucose and fructose are allowed.
- Higher Tomato content is always better (more than 25% is good).
- The FSSAI logo and the number most important , it signifies the product is safe to eat.
Don't believe in myths like they are heart healthy, good for your skin, it lowers the LDL cholesterol, because it is not your food it is just a support ingredient to your food and not a meal replacement.
But also don't believe in myths like it is cancerous, it is made of unnatural products, it increases weight.
Just enjoy a spoon and not the bowl.