Which 'evil' ingredient would you choose, if you had to choose one?
 

So my last area of concern for eating a clean, healthy diet is reducing sodium levels and increasing potassium levels. This is the hardest thing to do, harder than just shedding pounds in my opinion. Most days I average about 2600-2800 mg. of Na and while it's better than average, it's still way over the RDA.

Homemade turkey burgers are a staple in my diet. They've become a favorite, nestled between two slices of multigrain bread, cooked on the grill, and topped with a slice of tomato.

The problem is the ketchup. 1 tablespoon contains 190 mg. of sodium, 8% the RDA. This doesn't sound like that much, but when you eat a lot of ketchup it all adds up. Currently the brand I use doesn't contain high fructose corn syrup.

Now I've found Heinz "No Salt" at the market. Zero mg. of sodium, but better yet, 190 mg. of K. It looked like a winner, and the price wasn't prohibitive. Then I saw that it has high fructose corn syrup as one of the ingredients. :mad:

Needless to say, HFCS is not good:

"Soda also provides large amounts of sugars. This sugar comes in the form of high fructose corn syrup and other additives. Your body has a hard time burning this sugar off, especially in the mid-section. High fructose corn syrup is known to make you obese. This obesity is more apparent in your abdomen. You may think that diet sodas are better, but they also contain artificial sweeteners that contribute to bad health. It's best to drink pure water to lose your belly fat."

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articl...belly-fat.html

How High-Fructose Corn Syrup Causes Weight Gain / Nutrition / Healthy Eating


POLL QUESTION:

So my poll question is, given a choice between trying to control your sodium (while at the same time increasing your potassium)

OR

avoiding HFCS in any given product, what would YOU choose to do and why? This question is for ANY product (I just used Heinz as the example) that YOU would be considering ...

I wound up purchasing the Heinz even though I avoid products with HFCS.

Why don't you just make your own ketchup? I do, it's really not that hard.

I knew someone would ask this. That is not an option, or the point of this poll. I just used "ketchup" as the example. Most people are not going to make all their own condiments.

The poll is geared to general products and what people consider more important given these two ingredients as the choice. But thanks for the suggestion, and I went back and made my original post a little more clear... :)

I would say that if you are really eating a lot of ketchup ( I rarely eat any ) then I would go with the Heinz no salt version. You can limit the HFCS in the rest of your eating plan.

Exactly what I'm doing. Thanks. :)

I'm very interested in what others would or are doing...

Same here, however, I also don't consume any ketchup and haven't for a long time.
I'm assuming your also using the thin multi grain buns, I'll also add a dab of mustard and avocado when I'm making my grilled turkey burgs.

I would limit the HFCS, and try to find other ways to limit Na. There was a wonderful article in BonApp (I think) about katsup that pointed out that Heinz (in particular) has the amazing umami characteristic that enhanses the flavor of other foods. Ripe tomatos, in general, have umami characteristics, but there seems to something about Heinz's recipe that is especially successful.

Actually I use Arnold multigrain bread. It was really difficult at first to make the change from "buns" but now I really enjoy it. I tend to make my turkey burgers large (6.7 ounce each) and they fit better between the bread and the bread doesn't fall apart like the buns tend to. Just a personal preference.

Yes, I use some mustard as well. Spicy brown. Low calorie, low salt. I haven't tried it with avocado but now that you mention it, that will be on my radar for the near future! :)

You just taught me a new word.

Keep 'em coming. I'm still very new to the whole "nutrition thing". :D

It's a great one isn't it? Some people think that umami is our 6th sense of taste.