When you are on keto, you know that every net carb matters. And for me, one of the keys to staying on keto is to having a diverse range of recipes that have some of the same flavors as “regular” food so that I don’t feel like I am missing out. One of my keto staples is a low-carb marinara sauce. It’s incredibly simple to make and versatile. It’s a great topping for fresh-cut zoodles and even better mixed with cabbage and ground beef for a “lasagna-like” casserole. And, of course, it’s a must-have for fathead pizza.
San Marzano tomatoes are the main ingredient for our low-carb marinara. Our favorite brand is (or had been) Cento, and it’s become standard practice for us to pick up a couple of cans every week just to be sure we always have some on hand.
Why San Marzano Tomatoes Are Good for Keto
San Marzano tomatoes are good for keto because they have a great flavor and are relatively low in net carbs since there’s no sugar added. We liked the Cento brand because they were readily available at our local Kroger and reasonably priced. Unfortunately, Cento made a quiet change to their recipe that now makes their San Marzano tomatoes more difficult to eat on Keto. Here is how the Cento label used to read:
Luckily, I noticed the change while stocking up. We have a large can pantry in our basement with a can storage rack for smaller cans and shelf space for large cans. The Cento cans don’t fit into the rack, so they get stored the on the shelf, which means I have to rotate them by hand. If not for that, I might not have realized there was a problem with Cento San Marzano tomatoes. As I was putting the new cans in place, I noticed the back label looked a little different. At first, I thought we had picked up the wrong product, but then I compared the UPC numbers. Here’s the new Cento label:
The biggest issue is that total carbs went from 5g to 6g, and fiber went from 2g to 0g. Cento San Marzano tomatoes doubled their net carbs, going from 3 net carbs to 6 net carbs! Hoping that perhaps it was just a printing issue, I reached out to the company for direct comment. Here is a portion of their response:
We took this opportunity to slightly adjust the recipe of our certified San Marzano tomatoes…We understand if our new recipe does not fit into specific dietary preferences.
For those curious, the entire response from the company is pasted below, but the snippet above is what matters for those of us on keto. If you use Cento San Marzano tomatoes for your keto recipes, be sure to adjust your recipes to double the net carbs.
Full response from Cento confirming the change in their San Marzano tomato recipe:
“Thank you for reaching out about our certified San Marzano tomatoes. The FDA has instituted a newly formatted nutritional panel, you may have noticed it in place on many of our items as well as other brands. We took this opportunity to slightly adjust the recipe of our certified San Marzano tomatoes, as a result of feedback from consumers and our quality assurance team. We tested and analyzed this formula before putting out a new label that is compliant with the new FDA standards. We understand if our new recipe does not fit into specific dietary preferences. We are always looking to improve our products and welcome the feedback, this will be taken into consideration in the future. Thank you for taking the time to reach out.”