Other Healthy Options

No? Just like other sweet and salty condiments, there’s a lot of added sugar and salt to reckon with in bottled barbecue sauce, jacking up the calorie and sodium count faster than you can say, “Pass me a chicken wing!” Popular sauces average anywhere from 45 to 70 calories for a two-tablespoon serving.

Barbecue Sauce, like ketchup, gets its sweet kick from sugar — and a lot of it. A mere two tablespoons of barbecue sauce has 100 calories, more than 10 grams of sugar and 22 grams of carbohydrates — enough to turn a diet-friendly piece of grilled steak into a candy coated calorie bomb.

• TJ’s Bold and Smoky Kansas City Style Barbecue Sauce.
• Consorzio Organic BBQ Sauce.
• Annie’s Naturals Organic Smokey Maple BBQ Sauce.
• Bone Suckin’ Barbecue Sauce & Marinade Original.
• Peach-Mustard BBQ Sauce.
• Grilled Shrimp with Grapefruit BBQ Sauce.
• Grilled Chicken with Cherry-Chipotle BBQ Sauce.

20 Healthiest Sauces and Condiments to Keep in Your Pantry

• Tomatillo Taco Sauce.
• Muhammara Red Pepper Simmer Sauce.
• Lemongrass Basil Simmer Sauce.
• Organic Unsweetened Ketchup.
• Light Creamy Alfredo Pasta Sauce.
• Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce.
• Low-Fodmap Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce.
• Spicy Brown Mustard.

Unhealthy condiments to limit. Many condiments have unhealthy qualities that may require you to limit or avoid them in your diet. Ranch dressing. Ranch dressing is high in calories with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) providing 129 calories.

Recently Tested Pasta Sauce

• 365 Everyday Value (Whole Foods)
• Trader Giotto’s (Trader Joe’s)
• Mezzetta. Napa Valley Homemade Tomato & Sweet Basil.
• Monte Bene. Tomato Basil.
• Cucina Antica. Garlic Marinara.
• The Silver Palate. Low Sodium Marinara.
• Prego. Lower Sodium Traditional.
• Victoria. Low Sodium Marinara.

Botulism is a concern with all canned goods, and tomatoes are no exception. Although the bacteria don’t thrive in acidic environments, cases of botulism have cropped up in canned tomatoes. Avoid cans that are dented, leaky, rusted or swollen, and discard those that are foamy, cloudy or foul-smelling upon opening.

Can I ever use the tomatoes without cooking them? Um, no. Canned tomatoes should always be cooked and have no place in a BLT or salsa fresca. A long simmer in soups, braises, and sauces will soften them up, concentrate their flavors, and get rid of any bitter or tinny tastes.

Both are very low in calories, fat and sodium. They are both good sources of fibre, vitamin C and potassium. However, fresh tomatoes have significant higher levels of vitamins A and K and also folate. On the other hand, canned tomatoes have three times the amount of calcium and iron than fresh ones.

PLUM VS CHOPPED TOMATOES Where possible, we would always go for plum tomatoes. Whole tomatoes tend to be less processed than chopped ones – which means they have a fresher flavour and keep more of their natural sweetness.

10 Brands of Canned Tomatoes That Professional Chefs Swear By

1. Cento San Marzano Peeled Tomatoes.
2. Bianco DiNapoli.
3. Nina Italian Peeled Tomatoes.
4. La Valle Italian Peeled Tomatoes.
5. Fontanella Italian Peeled Tomatoes.
6. Mutti Polpa.
7. Pomi Tomato Sauce.
8. 365 Everyday Value Whole Peeled Tomatoes.

But will simply eating tomatoes help you lose weight? Absolutely not! Just eating tomatoes will not help you burn fat and lose weight. No food can do that actually.

Hunt’s whole plum tomatoes are packed in their own juice, adding freshness and vibrancy to soups, stews, spaghetti sauce, and more. Hunt’s vine-ripened tomatoes offer fresh flavor with every bite. Contains one case of 12 cans, each containing 14.5 oz of whole tomatoes; 30 calories per serving.

The structural fortitude of plum tomatoes makes them ideal for canning. They are meaty and contain less juice and fewer seeds, which means they’ll maintain their shape in the can. Garden vine will hold up nearly as well, but have a different flavor profile and totally different shape.

You can substitute other fresh, meaty tomatoes or canned plum tomatoes.