Jarred spaghetti sauce is fast, convenient and tasty. Most are
basic marinara and don't have additives like food color,
preservatives and artificial flavors. Many are high in Vitamins
A and C. As far as food choices go they are a very healthy
packaged food. Check the labels when buying. A cup of raw,
chopped tomatoes (equal to about 1/2 cup of cooked sauce) has
only 16 milligrams of sodium and depending on ripeness and the
variety of tomato, up to 5 grams of natural suagr. So a 1/2 cup
serving of jarred sauce can range from 200 to 770 mg of sodium
and as much as 10 grams of sugar. Tomatoes are naturally sweet,
so tomato sauce doesn't need added sweeteners to be tasty. The
sodium level should be about 350 mg or less per 1/2 cup serving.
Spaghetti sauce has a bonus. The powerful antioxidant lycopene
is inherent in the tomatoes. Lycopene is supposed to prevent
certain cancers, like prostate and breast. It is also said to
lower your risk of cardio-vascular disease. Heat and oil enhace
lycopenes absorption by the body. So cooked tomato products
offer you the best source of lycopene. The best jar sauce I have
used is Rao's Marinara, next would be Bove's Marinara, and last
I would recommend Colavita Marinara.
About the author:
Homemaker, retired secretary, from North Eastern U.S. Avid cook,
and gardener, with recipe website http://www.phyllisrecipes.com
Also, pet lover with animal care website
http://www.happypettips.com
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