THE RIGHT STUFF (to eat)
No Can Do
There’s nothing like a ripe, juicy, summer tomato to make the best salsa, brighten up your favorite sandwich, or toss into a fresh green salad.
But when tomatoes aren’t at their best, you’re better off getting your tomato fix from canned.
The question is: how can you dodge the sodium (250-400 mg in every half cup) in Del Monte, Hunt’s, and most other companies’ regular canned tomatoes?
And how to do you dodge the BPA (bisphenol A), a building block of plastic that’s in most can liners? (In some animal studies, BPA seemed to alter behaviors that are influenced by hormones. And some – but not all – animal studies suggest that BPA may increase the risk of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.)
Del Monte, Eden, Hunt’s, Muir Glen, and Whole Foods 365 sell No Salt Added tomatoes. But, they all come in cans.
The answer to both questions: a carton of Pomi Chopped Tomatoes. Pomi’s 10 mg of sodium per half-cup serving won’t harm your blood pressure. There’s no BPA to worry about. And each serving delivers 15 percent of a day’s vitamin A, 25 percent of a day’s vitamin C, plus a nice shot of lycopene, a carotenoid that may protect the prostate.
Will you miss the missing sodium? Not if you add Pomi to a chickpea curry, black bean chili, chicken cacciatore, or other well-seasoned dish. Or try it in n arrabiatta, puttanesca, or other robust pasta sauce, or a ratatouille, cassoulet, or lentil or minestrone soup.
Delizioso!
Nutrition Action Healthletter – March 2010
