If you open the fridge in any American kitchen, odds are you’ll find a bottle of ketchup, especially the well-known Heinz brand. It’s practically a must-have for hot dogs, burgers, and many other classic dishes. But here’s the thing—while ketchup is loved by many, it’s actually not as good for you as it seems. Doctors are now urging people to take a closer look at this popular condiment.
Health experts are issuing a clear message: “Be aware of what you’re putting on your food. Ketchup might be more harmful than you think.”
Remember when Ronald Reagan wanted to classify ketchup as a vegetable for school lunches? Well, there’s a reason why that idea didn’t stick. Despite its tomato base, ketchup is full of chemicals that aren’t good for your body.
Many assume that ketchup is made from fresh tomatoes, but it’s not. In fact, Heinz and other ketchup makers use something called tomato concentrate—which is basically dried tomatoes with water added back in. So, the tomato part isn’t as fresh as it sounds.
The rest of Heinz ketchup’s ingredients are far from simple. After the tomato concentrate, you’ll find distilled vinegar, high-fructose corn syrup (a sweetener made from corn), corn syrup (yes, more sugar!), salt (which can raise blood pressure), spices, onion powder, and “natural flavoring.”
Here’s the kicker—there’s not just one type of sugar in ketchup. There are two kinds, making it extra sweet and hard to resist, especially for kids. The ingredient list is arranged by the amount of each ingredient used, and by splitting the sugar into two categories, ketchup companies avoid putting sugar at the very top. This trick makes it seem healthier than it really is.
If Heinz used just one form of sugar, it would likely be the second, or even first, ingredient on the list. But by using both high-fructose corn syrup and corn syrup, they make the product look less sugary than it truly is.
You might be wondering how much sugar is in a bottle of ketchup. Mr. Eastcoastman decided to find out. He filled a 1.3-liter bottle of Heinz ketchup with the actual amount of sugar inside. The result? 33 tablespoons of sugar, which is more than two full cups. For comparison, that’s way more sugar than you’d ever use in your morning coffee.
An average squirt of ketchup on your burger or fries is around two tablespoons, which means you’re getting two teaspoons of sugar each time—without even realizing it.
And what about those “spices” and “natural flavorings”? Nobody really knows what they are. Heinz keeps that information under wraps, leaving us guessing about what we’re actually eating.
What do you think about all this? “Share your thoughts in the comments!”
