Do YOU know how much sugar is in your favourite pasta sauce? The answer might surprise you
It was found that some often contain more sugar than a typical PIZZA – or a McDonald’s Happy Meal Cheeseburger
DO you ever check the sugar content of pasta sauces?
A study carried out by DW Fitness Clubs discovered that adults and children could be getting a large dose of the sweet stuff, just by eating their favourite supermarket pasta sauces.
As part of a healthy balanced diet, an adult's reference intake of total sugars is 90g, according to .
The term 'reference intakes' (or RIs) has replaced 'guideline daily amounts' (GDAs), which used to appear on food labels, however the basic principle behind these two terms is the same.
DW Fitness Clubs analysed several pasta sauce products and found that when it came to the worst offender for sugar content, Tesco Bolognese Pasta Sauce came out as the highest - with 7.3g sugar per 100g.
And it seemed cheaper products actually came out best when it came to sugar content – with Tesco Everyday Value Pasta Sauce only having 2.3g sugar per 100g.
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Meanwhile, brands were also analysed and even ‘healthier’ choices were pretty full of the white stuff.
For example, Dolmio Original Light Bolognese Sauce contains 4.2g sugar per 100g - 5.8 per cent of an adult's total sugar Recommended Intake.
Manufacturers of pasta sauces list portion size as 125g per person - a quarter of a typical jar.
But, as Carly Yue, nutritionist and personal trainer at DW Fitness Clubs points out: “It’s so easy to overeat pasta sauces.
"A jar between two adults really is the norm for a lot of people.
“I’d always recommend cooking pasta sauce from scratch, or if you’re in a hurry, at least use tinned tomatoes which are far lower in sugar.”
Recipe for healthy, homemade pasta sauce
Carly Yue, DW Fitness Clubs nutritionist and personal trainer offers her suggestions for a healthy Bolognese sauce:
“This homemade pasta sauce is so simple, quick and cheap to make, you’ll be able to whip it up for a fulfilling midweek meal in a flash."
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 chopped onion
- 2 chopped garlic cloves
- 1 kg fresh tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped
- 150 ml vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion and garlic
- Add the tomatoes and stock. Cook over a moderate heat for 20–30 minutes or until the sauce is thick
- Whizz up in a food processor if you’d like a smoother texture
- Stir in salt and pepper to taste and reheat the sauce
And, interestingly, the research seemed to suggest that, when it comes to sugar, pizza may be healthier than pasta.
Half a Goodfellas’ Pepperoni pizza contained less sugar than many pasta sauces.
So, if your child is a fan of pasta sauce but you want to give them a healthier alternative, it may be best to make any sauces from scratch.
A spokesperson for Dolmio said: "There is actually only 2.1g of added sugar in a 125g portion of Dolmio Bolognese - that’s half a teaspoon.
"Each portion also contains one of your recommended 5-a-day and is made with 100 per cent natural ingredients.
"All our products carry traffic light labelling and the correct reference intake information is on the front of pack."
A Spokesperson for Tesco told The Sun Online: “We are continuously working with our suppliers to review our ranges and we’re pleased that soon, the sugar content of this pasta sauce will be reduced to 5.6 per cent.
"We’re committed to helping our customers live healthier lives with initiatives such as free fruit for kids in our stores, reducing the sugar content of our soft drinks by at least five per cent every year and removing sweets from our checkout areas.”