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How To Find a Low Sugar Spaghetti Sauce–Weight Loss Tip

Diet Tips· Healthy Living

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7 May

The other day I posted “My Easy 4 Ingredient Dinner” and suggested you use low sugar spaghetti sauce in it.

super easy week night dinner (800x600)

A few people asked me what sauce I recommend and how do I find low sugar / healthy sauce. So I went on a mission to find the BEST healthy spaghetti sauce options.

find the best spaghetti sauce (800x600)

Note: I’ve heard that making your own marinara sauce is ‘easy’. But, I try to write for busy peeps who want to be healthy. I always question, “Would Cindy make this?” – Cindy is my best friend who has kids and jobs and carpools and big hair and dog poop to pick up.

monica and cindy with coffee

And if I told her to make her own spaghetti sauce she’d tell me to shut my wheatgrass drinking trap. So yeah, hope this helps.

drink green shit

 

best spaghetti sauce for your diet  (728x800)

The Best Spaghetti Sauce – how to find low sugar sauce

1. Check out the ingredients.

In general it’s good to avoid buying foods with:

  • A LOT of ingredients
  • “Sugar” as one of the first 4 ingredients
  • things listed you don’t recognize
spaghetti sauce ingredients (800x600) sauce (600x800)

2. Check grams of sugar. Aim to buy sauce with 7g per serving or less. Note: Even without added sugar tomatoes and other ingredients have a little bit of sugar so the grams will not be 0.

classico sauce (600x800)classico ingredients (600x800)

3. Overall Nutrition info: Check the calories, fat, saturated fat, fiber and sodium.

 tomato sauce (600x800)

marinara (800x600) sauce ingredients (600x800) tomato sauce low sugar blog post (600x800) low sugar sauce prego (800x600)healthy tomato sauce picks (600x800)

 

bertolli how sugar sauce (600x800) bertolli best marinara sauce (600x800)

Tip: Just because something says “Heart Smart” or “Low Fat!” or “Whole Grain!!” doesn’t mean it’s healthy or has the best ingredients. Make sure to read the labels, not just the attention grabbing words on the front.

prego heart smart sauce (800x600)prego heart smart sauce with nutrition (600x800)

My pick: I usually end up buying whatever has low sugar per the above tips and is on sale. Boom.

classico tomato sauce (800x600)

Question: Are you loyal to certain brands or change it up a lot?

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34 Comments

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Navarra Good says

    2016-10-23 at 12:43 pm

    Thanks, Monica.

    Read this to hubby. He and I are trying to lower the excess sugar content of our diet. Extremely reasonable advice.

    Reply
  2. MadameZ says

    2016-04-09 at 11:12 am

    Rao’s has really low sugar but it’s as high as a cat’s back. It’s good though.

    Reply
  3. Sarah says

    2015-06-02 at 6:06 pm

    I have been that lady reading every label of every jar. The only jarred sauce I have found at my local Meijer is the Classico Spicy Tomato Basil. I will have to price out Francesco Rinaldi though. I’m not sure they carry it. All other brands & Classico flavors have added sugar. I have looked & shuddered at the price of the high end sauces, but $7-12 sauce is ridiculous & I would rather make it from fresh tomatoes at that point. Thanks for your research!

    Reply
    • William says

      2016-06-28 at 12:54 pm

      Classico roasted garlic is also free of added sugar.

      Reply
  4. Nan says

    2015-05-31 at 3:08 pm

    I tried to find a spaghetti/marinara sauce without sugar and finally settled on one that had 2 grams of sugar in the entire 16 oz jar. Figured that wasn’t bad for starting the no sugar diet!

    Reply
    • Angelo says

      2016-01-09 at 11:05 am

      Impossible. There can’t be REAL tomatoes in that that crap.

      Reply
  5. Eunice Capps says

    2014-09-17 at 9:36 am

    I’m having a spaghetti this weekend and good thing I found your post reminding that food labels are important. I’m an advocate of a healthy and fit lifestyle, so yes, being a vigilant on what you buy in the grocery is a way to a healthier and longer life.

    Reply
  6. martha@ simple-nourished-living says

    2014-05-10 at 7:55 pm

    Thanks for this. It’s a great reminder of the importance of reading labels. I usually buy whatever is on sale but like Barilla, Bertoli and Classico brands. I’m going to checkout the Kirkland sauce next time I’m at Costo!!

    Reply
  7. Livi says

    2014-05-09 at 1:36 pm

    Im loyal to whoever has the best price!!

    Reply
  8. Hannah says

    2014-05-09 at 12:58 pm

    Making your own sauce really isn’t that hard. A can of tomatoes, a can of tomato paste or tomato puree, some garlic (you can get the pre-minced stuff), an onion, dried oregano, salt, pepper, and about a teaspoon of sugar (it helps cut the acid and makes it taste better, and a teaspoon really isn’t that much). Let it simmer for half an hour, and it’s done. You can even get tomatoes that already have garlic, onion, and herbs in it. I personally don’t like jar sauce, so I do this instead.

    Reply
  9. Suzanne says

    2014-05-09 at 2:44 am

    We have a decent store brand tomato basil sauce that I buy, although I usually make my sauce using a 28 oz. can of low sodium crushed tomatoes and an 8 oz. can of tomato paste. Then I have fun adding to it…veggies, spices, EVOO, even wine 🙂

    Reply
  10. BlushandBarbells says

    2014-05-08 at 7:38 pm

    I’ve only ever found no-sugar added tomato sauce at Trader Joe’s. It wasn’t too pricey, either.

    Reply
  11. Shannon in Tustin says

    2014-05-08 at 5:32 pm

    We love Kirkland Marinara. It’s very tasty, no added sugar and easy on the wallet. We are a family of four (includes two teenagers!). It’s a little high in sodium, but to stretch it I always add one 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes.

    If I happen to need some in a pinch and run to the grocery store, I check out what’s on sale with lowest sugar/sodium. Not horribly brand loyal, but certain brands I won’t even consider. Is that reverse-brand-loyal? 😉

    Reply
  12. cel says

    2014-05-08 at 2:02 pm

    oooooor just buy a jar of crushed tomatoes and add your own italian herbs/onion etc…DONE! no oil, salt, preservatives, sugar or fat

    Reply
  13. Tara says

    2014-05-08 at 1:08 pm

    I just bought a jar last night for a quick last minute dinner. Ended up with Giada’s Garlic sauce.

    low cal, low sugar, but not great. Fed me though!

    Reply
  14. Elizabeth {Positively Healthy} says

    2014-05-08 at 12:13 pm

    “I better start drinking green shit and jogging” I am laughing so hard right now! hahahaha. Back to the sauce, I typically just buy the same brand every time the Simple Truth Organic Pasta Sauce!

    Reply
  15. Jayme says

    2014-05-08 at 4:39 am

    I only ever buy hunts because for $.99 a can you can’t beat it (price wise). But I always add ground beef to it, that’s what happens when you buy a half cow and need to get rid of half a freezer full of ground beef.

    Reply
  16. Hannah says

    2014-05-08 at 2:34 am

    I try to buy marinara without any sugar in the ingredients bc they add sugar to cover up the taste of low quality tomatoes and oils. To me it’s worth a little extra cost!

    Reply
  17. Whitney @ To Live & Diet in L.A. says

    2014-05-08 at 1:02 am

    I’m definitely not loyal to one brand. I switch it up depending on who is offering the healthiest product.

    In my fridge right now: Whole Foods 365 brand Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce. 45 calories, 2 grams of sugar. Take that Ragu!

    Reply
    • ricky singh says

      2017-04-11 at 9:07 am

      thank you so much

      Reply
  18. Emily@WhateverFloatsYourOats says

    2014-05-07 at 11:46 pm

    Thanks for this post, Monica! I like the Classico brand since it tastes pretty good and isn’t high in sugar.

    Reply
  19. Jess says

    2014-05-07 at 11:35 pm

    Thanks for this post! It’s hard to find things that have little added sugar nowadays, and I think many people (including myself) forget to check the labels on simple things such as pasta sauce. Great post!

    Reply
  20. Divya @ Eat. Teach. Blog. says

    2014-05-07 at 10:09 pm

    I definitely change things up based on what’s on sale!!

    I just saw a jar of pasta sauce at the store for 12 bucks. NO THANK YOU! I don’t care how healthy you may be for me, $12 is not my jam.

    Reply
    • runeatrepeat says

      2014-05-08 at 12:03 am

      That is expensive!

      Reply
  21. Heather @ Run Eat Play says

    2014-05-07 at 9:46 pm

    I totally agree with Cindy – there’s no way I’m making my own sauce. My kids are lucky they get dinner…just kidding 🙂
    I usually buy Newman’s Own sauce but I haven’t looked at the sugar in it. Now I’ll have to check it out!

    Reply
  22. Megan @ The Skinny-Life says

    2014-05-07 at 9:19 pm

    Love this! More people need to get education on label ingredient reading. I’m THAT lady in the grocery store reading labels. Too much gunk added to our foods that we DO NOT need.

    Reply
  23. AdjustedReality says

    2014-05-07 at 9:02 pm

    I usually just get a can of organic tomato sauce and put my own veggies in it. If I’m suuuuuper lazy, I go for our store brand (HEB) spinach and cheese sauce. I dunno if it’s healthy but it’s tasty!

    Reply
  24. Jojo @ RunFastEatLots says

    2014-05-07 at 8:52 pm

    I usually stick with buying the same things at the grocery store. Just out of habit.

    Reply
    • runeatrepeat says

      2014-05-07 at 11:51 pm

      I feel like I always buy the same fruits and veggies.

      Reply
  25. meredith @ The Cookie ChRUNicles says

    2014-05-07 at 8:40 pm

    I am pretty loyal to Vincent’s sauce which is a local New York restaurant that sells their sauce in area grocery stores…But, I do also like Trader Joe’s Organic Spaghetti Sauce all of a sudden…Sometimes just a can of tomato paste, low sodium stewed tomatoes and some spices is enough to make a quick sauce without added sugar.

    Reply
  26. Ganeeban says

    2014-05-07 at 8:37 pm

    Not sure if it’s low sugar, but Trader Joe’s Vodka Marinara (not the exact name) sauce is a pretty healthy alternative for a marinara sauce.

    Reply
    • runeatrepeat says

      2014-05-07 at 11:39 pm

      I’ll have to check that one out!

      Reply

Trackbacks

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Hi! I'm Monica, I love running, eating and sharing the best tips & strategies to help you RUN your BEST life! I've run +50 half & +30 full marathons and... More » about About

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Disclaimer: Please speak with a medical professional before making any changes to your diet or exercise. I am not a doctor or registered dietitian. The views expressed are based on my own experiences, and should not be taken as medical, nutrition or training advice. Please note that affiliate links and sponsored posts may pop up from time to time. I truly appreciate your support. More »

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