The ketogenic diet is a high fat, moderate protein, very low carb eating plan for weight loss. Cutting carbs from your diet forces your body to burn ketones for fuel, and ketones are made from fat. It takes a lot of fat to make a relatively low amount of ketones, which is why keto is such a good weight loss diet.
In addition, high-fat moderate protein foods and meals are very filling. With less hunger to contend with, keto is easier to maintain than many other types of diet.
Protein also has a high thermic effect, which means eating, digesting, utilizing, and excreting protein uses a lot of extra energy, enhancing the weight loss effect of this popular diet.
Consuming much more than 50 grams of carbs per day will kick you out of ketosis, which why most keto dieters need to know which foods are keto-friendly and what goods they cannot eat.
Meat and eggs perfect for keto, as are most veggies. Fruits are a little trickier, and only a few are suitable for the keto diet. Are tomatoes keto-friendly? Keep reading to discover the answer!
Are Tomatoes Keto
A lot of people think that tomatoes are vegetables, when in fact they’re fruits. Because of this, it would be easy to assume that tomatoes are NOT keto-friendly.
However, unlike most fruits, tomatoes are very low in sugar, high in fiber, and very low in net carbs.
Tomatoes are also high in water, so even a large tomato contains very few carbs or calories.
Most unprocessed tomato varieties contain about 2-3 grams of net carbs per 100 grams (3.5 ounces). This is about a tenth of most other fruits.
This means, like zucchini, cucumbers, and avocados, tomatoes are a very keto-friendly fruit. Tomatoes contain a host of beneficial nutrients, including vitamin C and lycopene.
These nutrients are often missing from the ketogenic diet. For this reason, it makes sense to include tomatoes in your ketogenic meals. So, are tomatoes keto-friendly? You bet! So long as they’re raw or just cooked without adding anything to them, tomatoes are a very acceptable keto food.
What Tomato Products Are Not Keto?
While tomatoes are undoubtedly keto-friendly, some tomato-based products are not. They contain added ingredients that mean eating them could kick you out of ketosis. Tomato products that are not suitable on the ketogenic diet include:
Tomato Paste
This cooking staple often contains added sugar.
Tomato Juice: While tomato juice is generally considered healthy, it also contains added sugar, so more than a small serving could disrupt ketosis.
Ketchup: Most kinds of ketchup contain more sugar than tomatoes, often in the form of high fructose corn syrup, which is a very concentrated source of carbs.
Salsa: Like tomato paste, this tasty dip usually contains added sugar.
Canned Tomatoes: Check the label; you’ll probably see that your tin of tomatoes contains sugar.
Sundried Tomatoes: Fresh tomatoes are low in carbs because they’re high in water and fiber. Sundried tomatoes are lower in water and more concentrated, so they’re naturally higher in carbs by weight. Where a cup of raw tomato only contains a few grams of carbs, the same amount of dried tomatoes provides closer to 25 grams.
Tomato-based products invariably contain added sugar. Because of this, things like salsa, ketchup, and sundried tomatoes are not keto-friendly. Make sure you stop and read the nutrition label on any tomato-based products to avoid accidentally eating too many carbs.
If you do eat these products, weigh or measure your serving to make sure you don’t kick yourself out of ketosis.
How Many Tomatoes Can You Eat on Keto?
Because tomatoes are low in net carbs, you can eat them relatively freely on keto.
At just three grams of net carbs per 100 grams/3.5 ounces, you should be able to eat several tomatoes per day without affecting ketosis.
You can eat raw tomatoes, roast or bake them, grill them, or fry them.
Season with herbs and spices to make them taste even better.
However, you should avoid most tomato-based food products unless you make them yourself and without adding sugar or other high-carb ingredients. Tomatoes go exceptionally well with extra-virgin olive oil and mozzarella cheese slices or balls.
This is called a Caprese salad and is traditionally served with balsamic vinegar, basil leaves, and pine nuts. This simple Mediterranean dish is tasty, filling, and utterly keto-friendly.
Bottom Line
There aren’t many fruits you can eat on keto. Most are too high in sugar to be considered keto-friendly. With no fruit in your diet, it would be easy to miss out on essential nutrients like vitamin C and other plant-based compounds, such as antioxidants.
Thankfully, there a few fruits that are okay on keto. Blueberries are safe in small amounts, and avocados are especially useful as they’re high in healthy fats.
Tomatoes are an excellent addition to any ketogenic diet because not only are they high in fiber but low in carbs, they’re also very nutritious. You can eat tomatoes raw or cook them as preferred. They’re one of the few fruits that can be used in both sweet and savory dishes.
Not all tomatoes are keto-friendly, and most processed tomato food products contain added sugar. Because of this, you should avoid things like ketchup and canned tomatoes unless they’re labeled as sugar-free. Alternatively, you can always make your own, so you can be sure you aren’t accidentally consuming hidden sugar and carbs.
Are tomatoes keto? Yes, they are, and they’re so nutritious that it’s worth trying to include them in your diet to make low-carb eating as healthy as possible.
