Nothing enhances the flavor of French fries or hamburgers like the classic condiment ketchup. That bright red sauce goes with a wide variety of fast foods, but ketchup also serves as the base for foods like barbecue sauce.
Key ingredients in ketchup include tomatoes, vinegar, sugar and sometimes onion or peppers. Most of us think of ketchup as a low calorie condiment; keep reading to find out of that’s true.
Major Nutrients Found In Ketchup
Looking at the calories in ketchup one thing becomes clear; ketchup isn’t quite as low in calories as we assumed. While 40 calories doesn’t seem like a lot, when was the last time you used just 2 tablespoons of ketchup to enjoy an order of fries?
However if you count calories for weight loss, then most of the other ketchup nutrition facts will not be a reason for you to worry. With no fat or cholesterol found in ketchup, the only thing you’ll need to closely monitor is the sodium intake. The very nature of how ketchup is eaten—in a large red mound—means that your sodium intake can quickly get out of control.
Ketchup has very few carbs and no protein, so you almost no nutritional value within those 40 (or more) calories.
Storing/Selecting
When choosing ketchup, look for organic brands when possible. More important perhaps is selecting a ketchup brand with as little sodium as possible, so look for ‘low sodium’ versions of your favorite brand. Choose ketchup that uses sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup to keep your sugar count as low as possible.
Store ketchup in a cool dark place such as a cabinet, or in the fridge if you enjoy the contrast of cold ketchup with piping hot fries or burgers. Just be sure to finish or toss your ketchup by the expiration date.
{Got a surplus of tomatoes? Crush’em and make your own low-sodium ketchup!}
Eat It With:
Ketchup is so delicious, and can become problematic because it goes so well with a wide variety of foods. Place it on your favorite turkey burger, McNuggets or chicken sandwich, eggs or to make a world class meatloaf sauce. Just be sure to keep ketchup nutrition facts in mind as you add more ingredients.
Burn Off Calories In Ketchup:
To burn off the calories in a 2 tablespoons of ketchup, you would need to do:
- 3 minutes of swimming
- 5 minutes of weight lifting
- 3 minutes of circuit training
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