How many calories in a tomato? This is a common question amongst dieters, weight watchers, and fruitarians alike.
A tomato is a fairly good source of vitamins and minerals if you look at it in that light. If you add onions, bell peppers, or garlic you are getting more of the nutrients per serving but not as much of the calories.
How many calories in a tomato?
Well, here is how the food industry likes to sell us those so-called healthy foods: they are very high in calories but low in nutritional value.
A plain, red ripe tomato about 3 inches in length, with the skin on, has about 22 calories without any fat, about two calories from fat, and about six grams of carbohydrates.
From that, you can calculate how many servings of tomatoes you will need to get your daily allotment of fruits and vegetables. Using tomatoes alone, there are about five servings which equal about five hundred calories.
That may seem like a lot of calories but many of us know how to count these things. We all know that a muffin and a loaf of bread is not as filling as a larger piece of cake or cookies.
Carbs are made up of mostly unprocessed organic ingredients and we don’t get too much exercise unless we’re on a bicycle. Fruits and vegetables are very filling and contain little or no fat, so the use of a tomato is really only a small part of a balanced diet.
Using tomatoes to replace vegetables is not as big a problem as many make it out to be.
Rich source of vitamins
Tomatoes provide a rich source of vitamins and minerals, which makes them a great addition to any diet. In fact, the British Heart Foundation recommends using tomatoes in the diet more than any other vegetable.
For many, tomatoes are a daily salad staple. So even if your tomato diet is mainly composed of salads, this low-calorie snack is still good for you.
For those who don’t have tomato lovers in their midst, there are plenty of other ways to include these tasty vegetables into your day. You can make a delicious and healthy meal by replacing the cheese in your grilled or roasted sandwiches with low-calorie mayonnaise.
Tomatoes also make an excellent alternative to meatballs and other similar dishes. They are loaded with protein and have almost no fat, making them a healthier choice for the meat lover in your life.
Because they have practically no calories, your dinner will be filled with nutrients that your body needs without all of the calories that you might expect from a meatball. And don’t worry, this doesn’t mean that you can eat a whole pound of tomatoes in any meal; just half a pound is enough to get you started.
As you can see, by using tomatoes to increase the count of your daily calories, you can easily reach your goals of weight loss and adding healthy tomato nutrition facts to your menu.
Final words
However, the best way to be sure you are getting the most out of this diet option is to calculate the total calories of everything you put into your meal. Remember that you want to count the fat and cholesterol in the foods that you are cooking as well, so use any estimates provided by the calculator only as guides and not the actual total. And always remember to use water to make your salad.
If you follow these two tips, you will be well on your way to reaching your weight loss goals. Just remember that many calories come from sugar, and you should be cutting out foods like candy and cookies to lose even more weight. When you are following a solid plan, keep track of your daily goals and the food and calorie content of everything you cook. This is a great way to stay on track as you work toward your weight loss goals.
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