G. Hughes Sugar Free Ketchup: 5 Calories & A Vinegar Tang
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America will consumes a lot of ketchup over Memorial Day Weekend, so we deemed it appropriate to spotlight the sugar-free ketchup we’ve been using for a couple of years: G Hughes Sugar Free Ketchup. Why sugar-free? We’re not keto, nor diabetic, nor dieting, nor in any other mode where one might want ketchup made with sucralose (the zero-calorie sweetener branded as Splenda*. When we use ketchup, we use a lot of it; and we decided after tasting this product at a trade show that we should cut all that added sugar health professionals warn you about. Below: > The ketchup quandary: hidden sugar. > G. Hughes Zero Sugar Ketchup. > The top ways Americans use ketchup. Elsewhere on The Nibble: > 50+ artisan ketchup brand reviews. > The year’s 18 condiment holidays: dips, dressings, and sauces. > The different artificial sweeteners: a photo glossary. Why sugar-free? We’re neither keto, nor diabetic, nor dieting, nor in any other mode where one might need something sugar-free. But when we use ketchup, we use a lot of it; and we decided after tasting G. Hughes Zero Calorie Ketchup at a trade show that we chould cut all that hidden sugar that health professionals warn you about. Ketchup is one of those foods that seems harmless because we use it in “small” amounts—on fries, burgers, and eggs, among other foods. But it’s also a classic example of hidden sugar in processed foods. Use enough of it, and the result is that a seemingly savory condiment can quietly become a source of added sugar. Added sugar shows up in so many packaged items—bread, sauces, salad dressings, snacks—that “a little here and there” can really add up, on top of the sugar you’re already consuming deliberately in coffee and desserts. We looked at the amount of ketchup we ate and found that all of those level tablespoons at 20 calories and 4 grams of total sugar each, easily added up to 100 calories whenever we used ketchup. And we thought: Let’s try ketchup with 5 calories per tablespoon and zero grams of total sugar. While 20 calories per tablespoon doesn’t seem enormous, why consume sugar we didn’t ask for? Plus, we have to admit that the sweet allure of the ketchup made us eat much more of it. That’s why sugar-free ketchup made sense for us. Our fries are still our fries, our burger is still our burger; we’re just not automatically pouring extra sugar on top of them. With a mother who was a great cook, Guy Hughes’s own passion for cooking flourished. As an adult, he loved to entertain, and became known for his neighborhood parties and picnics where his zero-sugar homemade sauces were the stars. Friends, family, and neighbors asked if he could make sugar-free sauces for them. Encouraged, he started to manufacture them. Today, G. Hughes makes some 50 sauces: barbecue sauces (12 flavors), dipping sauces (12 flavors), marinades (7 flavors), salad dressings (11 flavors), wing sauces (4 flavors), and three spice rubs—all with zero sugar. We’ve tasted five of the sauce, and all deliver bold flavor. They’re they’re gluten-free, dairy-free, preservative free, and low carb. The sweetening agent is sucralose, which is marketed commercially as Splenda®. The Sugar-Free Ketchup Made with vine-ripened tomato concentrate, distilled vinegar, salt, garlic powder and other spices—plus sucralose—the ketchup clocks in at just 5 calories a tablespoon and zero total sugars. It’s made with vine-ripened tomato concentrate, distilled vinegar, salt, garlic powder, spices—and the sucralose. Unlike the big-brand conventional ketchups that taste like tomatoes and sweetener, G. Hughes tastes like tomatoes and vinegar. There’s a puckery tang. Unlike sweet ketchup, the tang adds sophistication. And, we use less of it because we’re not shoveling in the sugar. Now, for the contrarian view: We came across a review on another food site where the team of reviewers totally trashed G. Hughes ketchup as “the worst ketchup brand” that “completely fails at being edible.” “Starting with the color,” the review continues, “it has a weird orange hue to it…The color alone is enough to make you question your purchase because ketchup should never be confused with a bottle of buffalo sauce.” |
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 [6] Some of the G. Hughes line-up (photo: The Nibble). It further referred to a “gelatinous texture that’s similar to the duck sauce packets at your local Chinese restaurant.” Huh? Our G. Hughes ketchup, in color and texture, has been indistinguishable from any conventional ketchup. Those reviewers must have gotten a bottle that sat next to a furnace for too long. Try it again, guys. For the nearest bottle: Most popular foods Americans use ketchup with aren’t much of a surprise, although the “less standard choices” below were not on our list. In order of use, we add ketchup to: “Americans will eat garbage provided you sprinkle it liberally with ketchup.” *Splenda is the largest of the sucralose-based brands. Others include Walmart’s Great Value store brand; Signature Select, the private-label brand found at grocery stores like Acme, Albertsons, and Safeway; Canderel Yellow (note that Canderel Original is an aspartame-Acesulfame-K blend and Canderel Stevia Blend has stevia and sucralose). Other market-specific or international brands that use sucralose as their primary ingredient include Nevella, SucraPlus, Sukrana, and Zerocal. Sucralose was discovered in 1976 by British food giant Tate & Lyle and researchers at Queen Elizabeth College, University of London. The story is one of the funnier accidents in food manufacturing. While researching new insecticides, Shashikant Phadnis of Queen Elizabeth College misheard the instruction of his advisor, Leslie Hough. Instead of “test” the chemical, he heard “taste” the chemical. So he tasted it—and found it to be extremely sweet (sucralose is 600 times sweeter than sugar). Tate & Lyle subsequently developed sucralose-based Splenda® brand products in partnership with Johnson & Johnson subsidiary McNeil Nutritionals. The brand is now owned by Heartland Food Products Group of Indianapolis, Indiana. †Ketchup is both a primary ingredient in the barbecue sauce used to baste the meat, and a condiment served alongside the cooked ‘que. Many Americans, especially in casual or home settings, use ketchup as a primary side sauce for grilled or barbecued chicken and pork. CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM. |
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