Tomato is keto, as it’s pretty low in net carbs. Even people with diabetes can eat raw tomato, but not all other tomato products.
Are tomatoes high in carbs?
Actually, tomatoes consist mainly of carbs. They contain about 3.9 g of carbs per 100g. A tomato contains up to 7.1 g of carbs. Also, tomatoes contain some protein but negligible amounts of fat. A large tomato contains 1.6 g of protein![1]
Other tomato products, such as tomato juice or soup, have a similar carbohydrate content.
However, highly processed tomato products, such as ketchup, tomato sauces, and tomato paste, have a much higher carbohydrate content. They contain about 27 g, 20 g, and 19 g of carbs per 100g, respectively.
Sun-dried tomatoes have the highest carbohydrate content, though. They contain 56 g of carbs per 100g!
What types of carbs are in a tomato?
Fiber and sugars are the main carbs in tomato. It doesn’t contain any starch. Raw tomatoes are 30% fiber and 70% sugars.
Actually, tomato as well as most tomato products are great dietary sources of fiber! The regular consumption of tomato products can help us meet our daily needs of fiber.
Are tomatoes high in sugar?
Tomato has a pretty low sugar content. A medium tomato contains only 3.2 g of sugars. Even a large tomato contains no more than 5 g of sugars.
Tomato products have a much higher sugar content, though. For instance, tomato juice, paste, sauces, ketchup, and sun-dried tomatoes contain about 2.6 g, 12 g, 13 g, 21 g, and 38 g of sugar per 100g, respectively!
What are the sugar types of tomato?
The two main types of sugars in tomato are glucose and fructose. 48% of tomato sugars are glucose and 52% are fructose.
Are tomatoes keto-friendly?
People on keto should limit their daily carbohydrate intake to 20-50 g a day.[2]
Tomato is keto-friendly, as it’s low in net carbs. People who follow a ketogenic diet can consume a small tomato daily. It contains only 2.4 g of sugars!
You could consume more tomatoes, but it’s better to eat a wide variety of keto-friendly fruits and vegetables such as cabbage, cucumber, kale, spinach, or peppers, in order to get a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, and health-promoting phytochemicals.
In contrast, people on keto should avoid other tomato products. They have significantly higher sugar contents.
For instance, just a tbsp of tomato paste contains 2 g of sugar, while a tbsp of ketchup contains 3.6 g of sugars!
Can people with diabetes eat tomatoes?
People with diabetes can consume tomatoes.
According to the American Diabetes Association, tomatoes are superstar foods for diabetes! They’re packed with fiber, vitamin C, vitamin E, lycopene, flavonoids, and many other antioxidant compounds that may help control glucose. They’re good for overall health as well.[3]
In fact, people with diabetes can eat raw, cooked, or puréed tomatoes!
As tomato has a rich antioxidant content, it may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and oxidative stress in people with diabetes. Most noteworthy, tomato is among the best dietary sources of lycopene. Lycopene is a carotenoid with potent antioxidant properties, which plays a key role in human health.[4,5,6]
Also, the regular consumption of tomato may reduce the dangerous LDL-cholesterol, while increasing the “good” HDL-cholesterol.[7]
Is sugar of tomato bad for health?
Excessive sugar intakes have been associated with increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, inflammatory diseases, and cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, excess sugar consumption may lead to fat accumulation in the liver, decreased insulin sensitivity, and increased uric acid and cholesterol levels.[8]
The upper safe intake of added sugar is 25 g. Extra sugar is added in most highly processed products. Cutting down sugar is very difficult, though. It interferes with the reward system of the brain.[9,10,11]
Consuming foods that naturally contain sugar, like tomato, isn’t bad for you. However, you should avoid overconsuming highly processed foods, containing added sugar, like ketchup.
Can the sugar content of tomatoes make me gain weight?
We gain weight when we consume more calories than we burn. As tomatoes are pretty low in calories, they help us lose weight.
Furthermore, tomatoes support weight loss because they can control appetite and decrease cravings for fattening food.
In contrast, the high sugar content in ketchup or sun-dried tomato is bad for weight loss. A tbsp of ketchup has 17 calories, while a serving of sun-fried tomatoes has about 70 calories!
If you want to lose weight, you better consume these foods in moderation.
