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.

Now there you might be wrong. Often the answer to make things healthier in this house is to make it from scratch. I don't make mustard, mayo or peanut butter, but pickles, relish, ketchup, pizza sauce and jelly are all homemade. Sorry, but the poll itself was so convoluted I just went with my own easy answer.

Hi VitoVino
You know my answer HFCS= gmo corn where as salt= natural occurring mineral

but organic condiments ketchup being your example can help you cut down on both:

organicville ketchup=
INGREDIENTS: ORGANIC TOMATO PUREE, ORGANIC AGAVE NECTAR, ORGANIC WHITE VINEGAR, SALT, ORGANIC ONION POWDER AND ORGANIC SPICES.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 tbsp (17g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 0
Calories 20
Total Fat 0g
Saturated Fat 0g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 125mg lowest I have found so far but I will keep my eyes open.
Total Carbohydrate 4g
Dietary Fiber 0g
Sugars 3g
Protein 0g

Good question though I am watching my sodium as I am trying to control high blood pressure and keeping under 1500 is hard but almeekers point is valid if we do not open cans we avoid a ton of salt.

Have a great day.

Or meals that come in boxes

Pam So true 550mg of salt in an average diet frozen dinner:( Crazy that's a third of my salt for the whole day.

Not bad, but 125 is still high. I use a LOT on my burger, about 1.5 tablespoons. That's just one of those things not open for compromise. So the Heinz is really the better choice, as much as I detest HFCS.

This gets back to what I call "the politics of salt". There's no reason why an organic ketchup couldn't be made with potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride. Heinz does it, only theirs is not organic.

This poll, and the replies, are very interesting so far. For sure there must be other foods out there that have no/little sodium and touted to be "healthy" yet they are still using HFCS.

I'm probably one of the few who gets excited when I find a high sodium food. I have been trying to increase my daily intake. My doctor told me to eat as many pickles as I wanted lol. :D

I mainly eat fresh/frozen whole foods. I drink 150-200oz of water daily plus G2 on my running days and 2+ cups of coffee a day.

I guess the way I eat would work for someone who has to lower their sodium intake. :confused:

I use the Organic ketchup as well and I would definitely opt for a little extra sodium over HFCS.

I think ultimately you should do what feels right to you. Of course it's best to make home-made but if your lifestyle just won't accommodate that then, just do the best you can and see what works. If you see that you aren't losing weight or lowering your blood pressure, then something's got to go.

Maybe just try making some homemade ketchup, just once and see if you like it?

I'm actually with you on this one. I eat very little fast food and not much canned, boxed, or otherwise prepared foods. I often take those little salt packets you get in fast food joints on my runs. Low sodium is a big problem for me with cramping. Believe me, like most people I assumed the problem was potassium, but I have done enought experimentation with potassium vs. sodium to know that it is low sodium that causes me so much pain (literally!).

I'd probably avoid the HFCS -- however, I'm not at this moment too focused on lowering my sodium intake and I am more concerned with sugar.

Honestly, if it's more important to you to up your potassium and lower your sodium, you can probably take the hit of HFCS and just try to balance it otherwise in your diet, as wildbeanerz said :)

Also - you know what food has the highest umami? Bacon! ;)

Oh yeah, bacon makes everything better!
 

and actually, it doesn't take much