Healthier Tomato Ketchup (Heinz Reduced Sugar and Salt Tomato Ketchup)

Member Name: laramax

Product:	Heinz Reduced Sugar and Salt Tomato Ketchup
Date:	16/04/08 (53 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It is lower in sugar and salt so it less damaging to your health

Disadvantages: None

Having gone on a low salt diet to help lower my blood pressure and keep it down I was quite interested when I spotted that Heinz have introduced a reduced salt and sugar version of their Tomato Ketchup.

I do like Heinz Tomato Ketchup and tend not to buy any other brand and, although I use it sparingly, I thought it might be helpful to try out the reduced salt version as it would help me to have some seasoning on my food without loading it with salt.

I bought a bottle, took it home, and was quite keen to try it out, so I opened the squeezy bottle and squeezed some out on to a saucer to try it. On the other half of the saucer I squeezed out some of the traditional recipe and tasted them both to compare.

To be perfectly honest I did not notice and enormous difference. Both had the sharp tangy taste that I enjoy and although the reduced sugar and salt one seemed marginally less thick that might have been my imagination or could relate to the fact that the traditional recipe bottle I used was well used and thus I might not have shaken it as well as I should have during use. Overall I found the reduced sugar and salt variety was every bit as tasty as the original so I will certainly keep buying it from now on.

Looking at the nutritional information on the bottle it would appear that the recipes are very similar but the reduced sugar and salt version has 3.2g sugar per 20gram serving as opposed to 4.7g in the traditional recipe and 0.4g salt as opposed to 0.6g so overall something of a saving.

Would I recommend it?
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Yes I would, certainly I don't think it tastes much different to the original recipe so it would be a good way to lower your intake of salt generally. If, like me, you are really trying to lower your intake of salt then don't kid yourself that you can use this instead of salt and cover your food in it as you will still be having salt. I use just a little with my meals to add in a little extra flavouring (and I mix it with mayonnaise to make a seafood dressing) but I eat modest amounts.

A big thank you to Heinz from me for introducing a range of products with a lower salt content. I shall be eagerly watching the shelves for some more new arrivals!

The dangers of excess salt
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We hear a lot these days about the need to cut down on salt and you may wonder if it is worthwhile trying to address this issue. I have always loved the taste of salt and used to put quite a bit on my food. A year or so ago I developed high blood pressure, doubtless as a result of abusing my body with a high intake over the years. The problem is that not only can it raise your BP but it does so because your kidneys are struggling to cope with the excess so it is something we should all bear in mind if we want to live long and healthy lives.

It was a struggle for me at first to cut out salt but I persevered and to be honest I feel so much better for it. I can't remember the last time I had a headache or a cold and I am sure getting the excess salt out of my system has been the reason. I have successfully re-educated my taste buds, it took a few months to do but I believe it has been worth it. I can highly recommend trying to reduce the amount of salt you eat and increasing the amount of fresh fruit and vegetables. Start reading some labels and you will begin to realise what a heavy salt content there is in some foods.

The big plus is that you really start to taste the flavour of the food instead of just the seasoning - it might seem a little bland at first but in time you may start to really enjoy it.

Summary: Definitely worth making the change to this new version of an old favourite