The ketogenic, or keto, diet has gained widespread popularity as a method for achieving weight loss and improving blood sugar levels. This diet involves drastically restricting carbohydrate intake and increasing the consumption of fats, compelling the body to burn fat for energy instead of carbs. Vegetables can form a large part of a ketogenic diet. But are tomatoes keto-friendly? While many understand the basic principles, questions often arise about specific foods, such as tomatoes, and their place within a keto meal plan. This article aims to provide a comprehensive exploration of tomatoes and their compatibility with a ketogenic lifestyle.
Understanding the Keto Diet
Keto diets restrict the amount of carbohydrates a person can eat. Instead, a person eats a high amount of fats and a moderate amount of protein. Keto diets aim to put the body into a state of ketosis. This occurs when the body burns fat for energy instead of carbs. Ketosis can lead to weight loss.
Generally, a person following a keto diet should aim to limit their carb intake to no more than 50 grams (g) each day. However, to maximize the chance of staying in ketosis, a person can limit their carb intake to 20 g per day. A person generally does not need to limit the amount of fat they consume while following a keto diet.
The foundation of a keto diet lies in drastically reducing carbohydrate intake-typically to 20-50 grams per day-and increasing fat consumption. This metabolic shift forces the body into a state of ketosis, where it starts burning fat for fuel instead of glucose derived from carbohydrates.
Keto-Friendly Vegetables
Vegetables form a large part of a ketogenic, or keto, diet. Keto friendly vegetable options include celery, tomatoes, spinach, and mushrooms. A person may wish to avoid starchy vegetables due to their higher carbohydate content.
Read also: Fresh Food Delivery Service
Although vegetables are a healthy part of any diet, some vegetables contain too many carbs to be suitable for inclusion in a keto diet.
Many vegetables are considered keto-friendly, especially non-starchy ones. When a food contains carbs but is also high in fiber, it helps to reduce the total carb amount of the food. There is a term for this called “net” carbs. The total carbs in grams minus the fiber in grams equals the net carb amount in a food. Eating foods high in fiber helps you eat a greater variety of food while on keto. This can help make the keto diet more sustainable and nutritious long-term.
Here is a list of keto-friendly vegetables:
- Asparagus: Raw asparagus contains 5.1 g of carbs and 1.9 g of dietary fiber per 100 g, yielding a low net carb count. A person can eat asparagus for its high iron, potassium, and vitamin C content as well.
- Broccoli: Broccoli is a delicious and highly nutritious vegetable. It is packed with fiber and vitamins, and contains only 4.5 grams of net carbs per 1-cup serving. Plus, one serving of broccoli is only 31 calories.
- Cabbage: One cup of raw cabbage provides only 2.9 grams of net carbs and 25 calories. Cabbage is also an anti-inflammatory food that is also a good source of vitamin C.
- Celery: Raw celery contains 3.32 g of carbs per 100 g. It is very low in calories and contains many essential nutrients, such as calcium and potassium. Celery may also help protect against cancer. A 2022 review states that the apigenin content in celery may contribute to a process called apoptosis. In cancer prevention, apoptosis is the death of damaged or potentially dangerous cells.
- Cucumber: Cucumber is another popular salad vegetable. It contains many essential nutrients, including vitamin K. Cucumber is also suitable for the keto diet, as its carb content is just 2.95 g per 100 g. To make the carb content lower, a person can peel the cucumber before eating it as this reduces the carb content to 2.16 g and 0.7 g of dietary fiber.
- Green Beans: They contain only 2 grams of net carbs per ½ cup serving. They are also filled with antioxidants and fiber, and contain only 31 calories per serving.
- Kale: Kale is a nourishing, delicious leafy green that is naturally low in carbs, packing only 0.3 grams net carbs per 1/2-cup serving. Kale is also a nutrient-dense food that is loaded with antioxidants.
- Lettuce: In one cup of lettuce, there is only 1 gram of net carbs and 5 calories. Lettuce is also rich in vitamins and water, helping to keep you hydrated.
- Mushrooms: Different types of mushrooms contain different amounts of carbs. Mushrooms are a popular breakfast food. A person could pair them with egg whites to make a keto friendly omelet.
- Peppers: Bell peppers are naturally low in carbs, rendering them appropriate for a keto diet. They contain only 30 calories and 3.9 grams of net carbs per 3.5 ounce raw serving. Peppers are also packed with vitamin C, vitamin A, and potassium for a healthy heart.
- Spinach: Spinach is a low-carb vegetable that is great for a keto diet. It contains only 23 calories and 1.4 grams of net carbs per 3.5 oz of raw spinach. It is also a good source of vitamin C, A, and iron.
- Zucchini: Raw zucchini contains 3.11 g of carbs per 100 g and 1 g of dietary fiber. Zucchini is a very versatile vegetable that a person can include salads, sandwiches, and garnishes. A person can also make zucchini noodles as a low carb alternative to pasta dishes. Zucchini is easy to grill, boil, or bake into a range of nutritious dishes.
People may wish to avoid starchy vegetables while following a keto diet. Vegetables with more than 5 g of carbs per 100 g of weight are starchy vegetables. Some vegetables that a person following a keto diet may wish to avoid include:
Tomatoes: Fruit or Vegetable?
As far as health food goes, tomatoes are pretty amazing. They're refreshing, low-calorie (22 calories per medium whole tomato), and chock-full of vitamins and antioxidants like vitamin A, C, K, which are all crazy good for you. But we had to ask, are tomatoes actually keto-friendly?
Read also: Keto and Cabbage: What You Need to Know
Though tomatoes are commonly considered a vegetable, they’re botanically a fruit, causing some to wonder whether they can be included on a ketogenic diet. Botanically speaking, tomatoes are considered a fruit.
Nutritional Profile of Tomatoes
According to the USDA, a medium tomato, which is about 100 grams, contains approximately 3.9 grams of total carbohydrates and 1.2 grams of fiber.
Different types of tomato contain different amounts of carbs, for example 100 g of raw grape tomatoes contains 5.51 g of carbs and 2.1 g of dietary fiber, while 100 g of roma tomatoes contain 3.84 g of carbs and 1 g of dietary fiber.
One whole medium tomato contains roughly 5 grams of carbohydrates, of which 1.5 grams are fiber and 3 grams are sugar. Men's Health
The carb content of mature spinach stands at 2.64 g per 100 g and 100 g baby spinach contains 2.41 g of carbs. Both contain 1.6 g of dietary fiber.
Read also: Healthy Chicken Meals
Tomatoes also contain important nutrients, such as potassium, vitamin A, and vitamin C. Tomatoes contain B vitamins, folate, vitamin K, copper, zinc, and antioxidants such as lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, all of which help keep the eyes, skin, heart, brain, immune system, and other organs healthy. Tomatoes also provide you with plenty of fiber that helps you feel full for longer, aids digestion, prevents constipation, and helps regulate blood cholesterol levels.
Tomatoes and Keto: A Perfect Match
"Tomatoes are keto," says Abby Langer, R.D., author of Good Food, Bad Diet. "They're low in carbs, so they fit perfectly into keto."
Tomatoes are a nutritional powerhouse and are a perfect fit for the keto diet. Our delicious new Eclipse tomato9es only contain 25 calories and 3 grams of net carbs.
Raw tomatoes are typically keto-friendly. Although technically considered a fruit, tomatoes contain much fewer carbs than other fruits. Therefore, they’re considered keto-friendly, while most other fruits are not.
In the context of a ketogenic diet, where the daily carb intake is typically limited to around 20 to 50 grams, a medium tomato's 2.7 net grams of carbs fits neatly within the low daily carb requirements.
With all of that said, are tomatoes still safe to have on the keto diet? This is what one of our nutrition experts had to say.
If you're eating keto, your goal is to enter a state of ketosis (a fat-burning state kickstarted by reducing your protein and carb intake). In this case, only 10 percent of your calorie intake should comes from carbs, leaving you to 20 to 30 grams of carbs per day to stay in that state. One tomato is barely a quarter of that limit, so there's little to stress about. Go ahead, have a tomato, or three.
Hence, tomatoes are much easier to fit within the daily carb limit than other fruit, which is what makes tomatoes keto-friendly.
Potential Benefits of Tomatoes on a Keto Diet
In addition to their low carb content, tomatoes are rich in fiber and contain a variety of beneficial plant compounds, which may be lacking on a strict ketogenic diet. There are two more reasons to include them on your keto diet.
Since tomatoes are so healthy, you would think they're perfect for the keto diet, right? Previously reported by Men's Health, lycopene, the phytochemical that makes tomatoes red, helps protect your prostate and reduce free radicals that cause skin damage and aging. Even better, if you cook your tomatoes, their lycopene levels go up, so enjoying fresh tomato sauce, tomato paste, and even ketchup boosts its protective factors. Japanese researchers also found that tomatoes can help break down lipids in the bloodstream, reducing the risk of vascular diseases like stroke and heart disease.
It'd be remiss to say that rumors haven't tried to slander the humble tomato's reputation. Some folks claim that fruits and vegetables in the nightshade family (like tomatoes) are actually bad for you and can cause inflammation, but that simply isn't true. In a 2014 study from the Illinois Institute of Technology, subjects ate two meals: one containing tomatoes and another without. Researchers found that the subjects' inflammation levels were actually significantly lower after the tomato meal.
Tomato-Based Products: A Word of Caution
Although raw tomatoes are considered keto-friendly, not all tomato products are. For instance, many store-bought tomato products, such as tomato paste, tomato sauce, salsa, tomato juice, and even canned tomatoes, contain added sugars. This significantly raises their total carb content, making them more difficult to fit into a ketogenic diet. Therefore, be sure to check the ingredient label when purchasing a tomato-based product and avoid those containing extra sugar.
Sundried tomatoes are another tomato-based food that may be considered less keto-friendly than raw tomatoes. Due to their low water content, they end up containing around 23.5 grams of net carbs per cup (54 grams), which is significantly more than the same serving of raw tomatoes (6, 11). For this reason, you likely need to limit how many sundried tomatoes you eat while following a ketogenic diet.
Tomato-based products, such as sauces, juices, and canned tomatoes, may contain added sugars, making them less suitable for a ketogenic diet. Sundried tomatoes may also be considered less keto-friendly than their raw counterparts.
Incorporating Tomatoes into Your Keto Diet: Recipe Ideas
Tomatoes can bring a bright, fresh taste to a variety of keto dishes. Here are some straightforward ideas to integrate tomatoes into your breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Breakfast: Tomato and Avocado Omelette
Start your day with a tomato and avocado omelette.
Preparation: Beat the eggs in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Mix in diced avocado and cherry tomatoes. Cook the mixture in a pan with a bit of butter or olive oil until the eggs are set.
Lunch: Caprese Salad
Preparation: Cut the mozzarella and tomatoes into slices. Arrange them on a plate and add fresh basil leaves. Finish the salad with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Dinner: Tomato Basil Shrimp
For dinner, try a tomato basil shrimp dish.
Preparation: Cook the shrimp and garlic in a pan with some olive oil. Add the tomatoes and cook until they soften. Add fresh basil, salt, and pepper.
Cream Cheese Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes
Preparation: Cut off the tops of the cherry tomatoes and scoop out the inside. In a bowl, mix cream cheese, chopped chives, salt, and pepper. Spoon or pipe this mixture into the hollowed-out tomatoes. Chill in the refrigerator before serving.