Pasta is a delicious staple food full of energizing carbs. But what you put on your pasta — whether it's a creamy cheese or a classic marinara — is just as important as underneath. Think of pasta sauce as a flavorful way to sneak in nutrient-dense vegetables and filling lean protein.
But pasta sauce can contain surprising amounts of sodium, sugar and fat, dietitians tell TODAY.com. If you want pasta to be a frequent part of your diet, it makes sense to look for the healthiest pasta sauces to eat with it.
Here are a few points to keep in mind to help you choose homemade or jarred sauces that are big on flavor — and nutrients. There's a lot that goes into pasta sauce — and a lot to keep in mind when trying to choose a healthier variety. Pasta sauces add flavor to any dish, but they're also notorious for adding sodium, fat and sugar, cautions New York-based registered dietitian Theresa Gentile.
Here's what to look for when on the hunt for a healthy pasta sauce: A healthy pasta sauce will contain less added sugar, less sodium and less saturated fat per serving, Caroline Susie, a registered dietitian based in Dallas and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, tells TODAY.com. Based on a diet of 2,000 calories per day, the recommend consuming no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium daily.
And the American Heart Association recommends no more than 36 grams of added sugar per day for men and 25 grams for women. Depending on how much you eat in a day and wheth.