WHAT IS IT?
Tomato products which include no added salt.
SHOPPING TIP:
1) Be sure you're looking for the right product. If every product you've looked at shows sodium content, take a deep breath and relax-there's no such thing as sodium-free tomatoes. Tomatoes, like most foods, contain a level of natural sodium-- which is the reason you're seeing a sodium level listed. What you're looking for is a product which contains no added salt-so be sure to read ingredient labels, not the nutrition panels. If the ingredients don't list salt, the product is nsa.
2) Just because an item is marked nsa, don't assume it's plan friendly. This morning I had this lesson hammered home to me when one of our recipe submissions contained a tomato product I wasn't familiar with. Yes, it was marked nsa; yes it contained no added salt. What it DID contain was high fructose corn syrup, which is a sugar we don't recommend. Caveat emptor: let the buyer beware. The same sneaky practice I've seen again and again in nsa ketchup and stewed tomatoes apparently also holds true for certain other canned tomato products. Read those labels and beware of unwanted sweeteners!
3) Markets will usually stock nsa tomato products alongside other tomato products. Sometimes they're not specifically marked "no salt added" so get into the habit of reading labels. In addition to conventional markets, you may find nsa tomato products in health-oriented markets such as Trader Joe's Market, Whole Foods, Harry's Farmers' Market, or Wild Oats Market. If all else fails, try ordering online. One popular source our members use is www.healthyheartmarket.com .
CALCIUM CHLORIDE: FRIEND OR FOE?
Some of the major purveyors of nsa canned tomatoes have yet a new trick up their sleeves, listing calcium chloride among the product ingredients. Since this chemical compound can be used as a salt in certain instances, we're honestly not sure whether its presence in foods will in any way affect your weight loss progress. For this reason, we advise that caution be exercised when using products containing this ingredient, and of course that you monitor your weight loss progress closely.
WHO MAKES IT?
Cento (read ingredients; some products contain salt, some are nsa)
Contadina (tomato paste)
D'Angelo (Canada)
Del Monte
Eden Organics (also offers nsa products with roasted onion and green chiles)
Equality (Canada)
Hunt's
Master Choice (Canada)
Muir Glen
Our Compliments (Canada)
Pastene (available in 28 oz cans, Shaw's (Albertson's) Stop & Shop, New England)
Pomi (24.46 oz box)
President's Choice Splendido (Canada)
S & W
Smart Choice (Canada)
Trader Joe brand
Tuttorrosa (available in 28 oz cans, Shaw's (Albertson's), Stop & Shop, New England)
Unico (Canada)
Walmart (Great Value brand)
Western Family Brand
Whole Foods 365 Brand
In addition, many markets carry their own private line of nsa products.
WHERE DO I FIND IT?
A & P (Canada) (Equality, Master Choice)
A & P (US) (Cento All Purpose Crushed Tomatoes, Tomato Puree- 28 oz cans; Contadina Tomato Paste)
Albertson's (Hunt's)
The Barn (Canada) (Equality, Master Choice)
Costco (S & W)
Dollar Store (tomato paste)
Food Basics (Canada) (Equality, Master Choice)
Food Co.
Giant Eagle (Contadina tomato paste)
Great Canadian Superstore (Canada) (President's Choice, store brand)
Harry's Farmers' Market
IGA (Canada) Our Compliments and Smart Choice
Kroger
Loblaws, Greater Toronto Area, West (President's Choice Splendido Plum Tomatoes, Unico nsa tomatoes, D'Angelo nsa Italian Peeled Tomatoes, Muir Glen nsa Organic Tomato Paste --in natural Foods section.)
Meijer's (store brand tomato paste)
No Frills (Canada) (President's Choice, store brand)
Price Chopper (Our Compliments and Smart Choice)
Ralphs
Randall's
Safeway
Safeway, Canada (Unico nsa tomato products and paste)
Savemart (Kroger store brand, Hunt's)
Shop Rite (Contadina Tomato Paste)
Sobey's (Canada) Our Compliments and Smart Choice
Stop and Shop (Cento All Purpose Crushed Tomatoes, Tomato Puree- 28 oz cans; Contadina Tomato Paste)
Super Target
Thriftway (Western Family brand)
Trader Joe (Trader Joe Brand, Pomi)
Ultra Food and Drug (Canada) (Equality, Master Choice)
Vons (Safeway brand, S & W)
Walmart/Super Walmart (store brand and Hunt's brand)
Whole Foods (Muir Glen or 365 Brand)
Wild Oats Market (Pomi)
Zehr's (Canada) (President's Choice, store brand)
A WORD ABOUT NSA STEWED TOMATOES...
A funny thing about stewed tomatoes... it seems that if they don't include salt, they DO include other off-plan ingredients, such as sugar or corn syrup. Please read labels very carefully before purchasing this product. Sadly, the majority of the national brands don't offer a plan-friendly nsa stewed tomato product. You can either opt to make your own (you'll find a recipe or two in our Veggie Recipe Forum) or you can substitute canned diced tomatoes for a slightly different taste.
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