Building Muscle with Canned Tomatoes

Looking at the label, this Petite Diced Tomatoes option keeps things incredibly simple. With just 2g of sugar per 100g, it's a low-sugar choice that relies on organic tomatoes, tomato juice, calcium chloride for firmness, and naturally derived citric acid for brightness. The 9.8 score suggests a very clean product. I imagine the texture is firm and distinct, holding its shape well in a dish. A real-life use case would be quickly tossing this into a pan for a weeknight pasta sauce when you're short on time. The trade-off is that the citric acid can add a noticeable tartness, which some people may find sharp if they're sensitive to acidity.

This Diced Tomatoes option appears to be a solid, conventional staple. It also has only 2g of sugar per 100g and a high 9.8 score. The ingredient list is standard: tomatoes, tomato juice, and less than 2% each of calcium chloride and citric acid. It's essentially the non-organic counterpart to the first product. I can see this being a reliable base for a big pot of chili. The trade-off is the sourcing; it lacks the organic certification of the other options, which may be a priority for some shoppers focused on sustainability and pesticide avoidance. The texture should be similar—firm and chunky.

The Smith's Sweet Onion Tomato Dressing is in a completely different category. The label shows a massive 46g of sugar per 100g, and the score drops to 5.4, indicating a much more processed item. The ingredients are listed as 'updating,' which is a bit of a red flag for transparency. This is clearly a sweet, syrupy dressing, not a simple tomato product. A use case would be drizzling it over a salad for a sweet kick. The trade-off is the extremely high sugar load, which makes it more of an occasional condiment than a health food.

This Petite Diced Tomatoes can is another strong contender. It has the same low 2g of sugar per 100g and a 9.8 score. The ingredients are diced tomatoes, tomato juice, and less than 2% of salt, citric acid, and calcium chloride. The addition of salt is the key difference here, which may provide a more savory, rounded flavor profile compared to the unsalted organic version. I'd use this for a quick shakshuka base where the built-in salt saves a step. The trade-off is the sodium content; if you're watching your salt, you'll need to account for it in the rest of your recipe.

This Organic Whole Peeled Tomatoes option looks like the top-tier choice for purity. It boasts a 9.9 score and 0g of sugar per 100g. The ingredients are all organic: tomatoes, tomato juice, sea salt, calcium chloride, and citric acid. Whole peeled tomatoes usually have a softer, more luscious texture than diced, breaking down beautifully into a sauce. I imagine them being perfect for a slow-cooked marinara where you want a smooth, rich consistency. The trade-off is the texture; they aren't pre-diced, so you'll need to crush or chop them yourself, which adds a step to prep.