another food question

  • Thanks for helping me out so much. Here's my next question.

    Progresso Diced tomatoes with Italian herbs has 6 grams of sugar. I'm sure I read a Phase 1 recipe with canned Italian sauce. Is this sauce OK to use on Phase 1? My vegetable juice (V-8, low salt) has 8 grams of sugar and that's fine, I think.

    So, can I have this tomato product? Please say yes!
  • My personal rule is to avoid any over 3 grams. It's amazing how many are sugar-y!
  • Check the label - many tomatoe prodcuts have added sugar, so avoid those and find ones that don't have any sugar added. I've found that many of the store brand tomato products are better than the brand name.
  • I found the same thing, Hunts has no sugar added tomato products.
  • Natter, if the sugar is from a natural source and not added in (just the sugar from the tomatoes or from the fruit) it should be fine. It's the added sugar that you need to worry about. Hence, the majority of dressing doesn't have any natural sugar...all of it is added in, so you don't want more than 3 grams. In things that don't have added sugar, like V-8, I think the amount of sugar is fine. However, in the Progresso, there is probably added sugar and the sugar from the tomatoes, so you want something like Hunts that only has tomato sugar, not added sugar.

    Wow, that hurts my head to read! Does it make any sense? :
  • Be careful with canned beans too! Some kidney beans and chick peas have sugar added in the canning!
  • Oooh, Ruth, I didn't know that! Sneaky little canning companies!
  • You're right -- it's amazing how much sugar they sneak in. I've become a rabid label-reader!
  • Me too, it takes me about an hour to buy a can of beans and a loaf of bread now
  • You said it, Wendy! But I'm also becoming more aware of what I'm eating and what nasty things were in the foods I used to enjoy...scary! *shudder* Glad we're reading labels now, even if it does mean camping out in the supermarket for days with a magnifying glass!