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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
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Learn to Identify and Fight Oral Cancer
How to Drink More Water
Should You Buy a Waterpik?
Why It’s Fun to Have a Whiter Smile
Take a Break
The Ketchup Pill Craze
If you have a belly ache, one of the last things you’re likely to reach for is the ketchup bottle. But did you know that ketchup was once utilized as a cure for indigestion? In 1834, Dr. John Cook Bennett came up with a recipe for tomato ketchup that he advertised as a cure for indigestion, jaundice, diarrhea, and rheumatism, according to his research. The ketchup was even packed into pills and his research made its way into well- respected American newspapers. Before this, many Americans were under the impression that tomatoes were poisonous and avoided them like the plague. According to the Smithsonian magazine, in the 1700s, Europeans thought tomatoes were poisonous apples. Entrepreneur Alexander Miles discovered Bennett’s research and partnered with Bennett, calling the ketchup pill “extract of tomato.” The craze over the ketchup pills grew, and many other entrepreneurs began Not Just a Condiment
Scientists then began to look into Bennett’s research claims, and just when wild claims surfaced that the pills could even cure scurvy, a disease caused by a deficiency in vitamin C, and broken bones, the claims were dispelled and the ketchup pill craze died down by 1850. Modern research today shows that tomatoes contain the antioxidant lycopene, which is linked to reducing the risk of cancer and heart disease. They also are abundant sources of potassium, vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate. While Bennett’s research was exponentially exaggerated, we can say it wasn’t completely inaccurate. KETCHUP ONCE CURED ALL
Today, Heinz, the leader in the ketchup industry, sells 11 billion single-serve packets and over 650 million bottles annually.
So, would you like a ketchup pill with those fries?
creating their own versions of the “extract of tomato” pills. Some versions didn’t contain any tomatoes at all and, instead, were filled with laxatives. Americans began believing these ketchup pills were the key to ultimate health.
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