What is Tomato Paste?
Tomato paste is tomatoes that have been cooked down, then had the seeds and skins strained out, and then cooked down some more until it becomes super dense and, well, paste-like. Tomatoes have a lot of bright acidity and umami flavor in their raw state, and when all of that pesky water has been cooked out the result is packed with the stuff. As is the case for most concentrated ingredients, a little can go a long way, which is why the cans are considerably smaller than cans of sauce or crushed tomatoes. Some tomato paste is labeled as “double-concentrated,” which obviously means that the tomato is even more intense. A few ounces of the stuff packs a punch.
Keto Status?
Debatable
Why?
Tomato Paste has 2.5 net carbs per Tablespoon. Typically, an entire recipe calls for one can of tomato paste or less, so the total carbs per serving is sometimes manageable on the keto diet. However, one can of tomato paste contains 25 net carbs, so watch the carbs per serving of whatever product it is used in to be sure it’s not too high.
Possible Side Effects from Ingesting Tomato Paste?
N/A if no allergies are present
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PLEASE NOTE – I Heart Keto Mart will add more sources and up-to-date research articles as they come to our attention. We welcome any of our viewers to send us any information/research/articles that you think would be of interest to our rating decision. Keep in mind – we are not rating ingredients solely on their general health benefits or side effects. To see our rating process, click on the link below.
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