Is tomato rich in vitamin C?

Tomato helps meet our daily needs of vitamin C, as it contains 13.7 mg of vitamin C per 100g. Tomato juice and tomato paste also contain decent amounts of vitamin C. Ketchup isn’t a good dietary source, though.

How much vitamin C in a tomato?

Tomato is a good dietary source of vitamin C. It contains 13.7 mg of vitamin C per 100g, which is 15% of the Daily Value. A whole tomato provides up to 28% of the recommended daily intake:

  • small tomato (2-2/5″) contains 12.5 mg of vitamin C, or 14% DV.
  • medium tomato (2-3/5″) contains 17 mg of vitamin C, or 19% DV.
  • large tomato (3″) contains 25 mg of vitamin C, or 28% DV.
  • a cup of chopped tomatoes contains 24.7 mg of vitamin C, or 27% DV.

As fresh tomato and other tomato products are favorite foods with decent amounts of vitamin C, they’re key dietary sources of vitamin C for many people.

The amount of vitamin C in tomato depends on the ripening stage. Most tomato varieties have more vitamin C when they are ripe. Green tomatoes have less vitamin C.[1]

What’s the vitamin C content of tomato juice?

Tomato juice and even canned tomato paste are also rich in vitamin C:

  • tomato juice contains 70 mg of vitamin C per 100 mL. This amount is about 77% of the DV.
  • tomato paste contains about 22 mg of vitamin C per 100g.

Tomato paste has a lower vitamin C content than tomato juice because vitamin C is pretty vulnerable to heat. After all, tomato paste is highly processed food.

However, tomato paste is good for you, as it has an extremely high lycopene and beta-carotene content. It contains 28,800 mcg of lycopene and 900 mcg of beta-carotene per 100g.[2]

Vitamin C in ketchup

Ketchup is also highly processed food. Most vitamin C is destroyed during the processing method. Ketchup has negligible amounts of vitamin C. It contains only 4 mg of vitamin C per 100g.

But, ketchup is high in lycopene. It contains 12,062 mcg of lycopene per 100g. Lycopene isn’t vulnerable to heat and other processing methods. Actually, ketchup is the main lycopene source for many people.

Can we get enough vitamin C from diet?

The recommended daily intake of vitamin C is 90 mg for adult men and 75 mg for adult women.

We can easily get more than enough vitamin C by following a plant-based diet. Plants are the main dietary sources of vitamin C. Most healthy people don’t need high dosages of vitamin C from supplements.

For instance, most fruits are rich in vitamin C. Actually, citrus fruits, such as oranges, grapefruits, and lemons, have more vitamin C per 100g than fresh tomatoes.

We can also get high amounts of vitamin C by consuming vegetables with vitamin C, like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and peppers.

Tomato is much more than vitamin C

First, tomato supports weight loss, as it’s pretty low in calories. A raw tomato contains between 16 and 33 calories, depending on its size. Moreover, tomatoes can control appetite and decrease cravings for fattening foods. They keep us full because they’re 95% water and have a high fiber content.

As tomato is pretty low in sugars, people with diabetes and people on keto can consume it.

Also, tomatoes contain small amounts of minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and copper.

Most noteworthy, tomatoes are among the best dietary sources of lycopene, which is a powerful antioxidant. Also, they’re rich in beta-carotene. A tomato contains up to 817 mcg of beta-carotene! In fact, tomato is one of the best dietary sources of beta-carotene!

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