Getting Sauced

Ketchup is a source of high sugar that dieters and diabetics alike can easily overlook. Its healthier relatives of tomato sauces, whether for pizza or pasta, can also be another high sugar content source. Sauces, however, have more variance in sugar content from vendor to vendor.
I have little direct experience with jarred or canned sauce for home consumption. In addition to being leery of sugar content, many tomato sauces contain pieces of things I don’t like and won’t east, including onion in any form or pieces of peppers or tomatoes. I find it easier to make my own sauce from a tomato paste base and mixed with meats, vegetables and herbs. I do not add any sugar or salt to the pot, though I will salt it on the plate.
Tomatoes are acidic, so sugar is usually added to counter-effect the natural acids. Most grocery-bought sauces will contain some sugar. The FDA requires ingredients to be listed from most abundant to least, so it is best to choose brands by the most ingredients before sugar. Monitoring blood sugars after the meal is also advisable. Sauces sold in cans with tomato pastes, purees and pieces often are very straightforward and plain. These products, with makers such as Hunts, Contadina and store generics will usually have less or no sugar and can be seasoned to taste. Jarred sauces such as Prego, Ragu and Aunt Millie’s, sold as the "flavor" brands, will have more sugar.
Restaurants are harder to plan. Some chains may use basic foodservice packaged varieties of common brands, but these may also be labeled for specific chains so even the employees may not know. Many of the pizza chains have their own secret house recipes. These are also generally make offsite and shipped in gallon cans or five gallon bags. I worked for the New England chain Papa Gino’s and never felt as though my sugar was higher. I did notice when working in a mall that Pizzeria Regina lunches always shot my sugar higher than it should have been after a reasonable meal. As you cannot be sure of the accuracy of what most employees will tell you, it is best to avoid other sweets when eating Italian out and paying attention to your sugar levels afterwards. Avoid the places that raise your sugar and frequent those that do not.
You may find your prefer the higher sugar recipes . That’s okay, in my opinion. A successful diet is one you can maintain permanently, and avoiding all sugars all the time is not possible for most people. The important thing is to know what you are consuming and how it affects your body and knowing when you need to compensate. A carb-rich plate of pasta is an important thing to track as a sugary sauce will spike your sugar sooner and the pasta carbs will keep the levels elevated.