Is Tomato Paste OK?

So many of the ingredients we need to be diligent about avoiding or changing when we’re Paleo… is tomato paste one of them?

I don’t have a problem using it myself now and again; I buy a brand that is organic and contains tomato and salt- that’s it and it certainly does provide some ‘oomph’ to a recipe.

What about the salt?  Isn’t there ‘no salt’ in Paleo?

Yes…but here’s my take on it:

The typical American diet is very high in sodium and very low in potassium; the opposite of the Paleo diet.  So, while I wouldn’t recommend that everyone as a whole go out and salt their food to death, a little bit here and there, and in particular for athletes, is not an issue and not an ingredient I have a problem using.

The issues arise when someone consumes a very sodium heavy diet via processed foods, or has hypertension, or has no other ‘spices’ in their regime other than table salt.

Other ingredients… not so much.  I am not a fan of ‘just a little soy sauce for some umami’ nor ‘just a little bit of cream for thickness’.  Not into using artificial bits either; synthetic sugars to ‘save on calories’ or ‘milk substitutes’ are not options.

Keep it natural, fresh and don’t fret over using a teaspoon of salt in your cooking now and then.