Is ketchup healthy?
Is ketchup healthy? Almost everyone is familiar with the fact that red sauces are often healthier than white sauces and that they also contain fewer calories. This generally applies to ketchup as well. Ketchup is made from tomatoes and therefore contains nutrients that are good for your health.
Ketchup contains lycopene, vitamin C, and vitamin E, a combination that has positive effects on your health. The healthiest property of ketchup is the prevention of cardiovascular disease. In addition to the positive effects on your health, ketchup has another advantage. It contains very few calories and contains almost no unhealthy fats. Despite a number of negative properties, ketchup is seen as a healthy sauce that you can safely enjoy often.
Ketchup usually consists of tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, and an extract of herbs and spices. It is quite possible to make ketchup yourself. This way you can ensure that there is less sugar in the ketchup and it will be even better for your health.
Is ketchup healthy? Lycopene in tomatoes
The fact that ketchup is good for health is mainly due to the lycopene in the tomatoes. Lycopene is an antioxidant and protects the body against certain cancers. Lycopene also ensures that a tomato has a red color. In tomatoes, lycopene is in the cell walls. These cell walls are difficult for humans to digest so that the lycopene is not released sufficiently and therefore cannot be properly absorbed by the body.
When tomatoes are cooked, the cell walls break and the lycopene will be released. Released lycopene is of course much better absorbed by the body. Because the tomatoes used for ketchup are first cooked, the lycopene is released, which makes ketchup a healthy sauce that is even good for health. Due to the combination of lycopene, vitamin C, and vitamin E, ketchup reduces the risk of cancer and has positive effects on cardiovascular disease. So it is absolutely not unhealthy if you decide to eat ketchup every now and then.
Is ketchup healthy? Sugar in ketchup
Despite all the positive effects on your health, ketchup is not completely healthy. It is low in calories and virtually free of unhealthy fats, but it does contain a lot of sugar. Research has shown that ketchup consists of an average of 25% sugar, which can be very unhealthy if you consume large amounts of it. However, if you only occasionally eat ketchup, it is absolutely not bad for your health and the sugar cannot do much harm.
Although ketchup contains a lot of sugar, it has hardly any negative effects on your health. Only when you consume large amounts of ketchup does it become unhealthy. In short, ketchup is good for your health thanks to the lycopene from the tomatoes, but due to the high amount of sugar, it is recommended to use ketchup in moderation.
