Tomato Diet: You’re In For A Ride
A healthy and slim body is for the most part about healthy nutrition. Different macronutrients in moderation provide different positive effects on your health. Foods rich in vitamin A add to your glowing skin and sharp vision; sources of vitamin C boost your immune system; vitamin B1 is vital for your metabolism. You could go on for ages, describing what health benefits each nutrient has. Some of the foods combine nutrients in such a way that their consumption is thought to be highly effective for weight loss processes. That is why one-food diets occur. And one of the representatives of such nutritional plans is a tomato diet.
What Is A Tomato Diet?
A tomato diet is a nutritional plan, which requires the consumption of tomatoes during each meal. Tomatoes are full of nutrients, which are important for a lot of your body processes and are very low in calories, fats, and carbs, as they mostly consist of water. They have a lot of health benefits and are used all over the world in all possible forms. On the tomato diet you can eat raw tomatoes, grill them, drink tomato juice, etc. Following the plan of this diet you may lose up to 5 pounds (2.5 kilos) in 4 days. However, such a rapid weight loss may be short-lasting. But you can give it a try, as long as it doesn’t harm you.
Another variant of a tomato diet is healthier than consuming only tomatoes. It includes the addition of tomatoes and tomato products to your daily meals. This type is more balanced and less restrictive, therefore making it a lot easier to follow. Although it might not have such an impressive slimming effect, it has the potential to improve your health and wellness.
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Tomato Contents
Tomato, like all other popular vegetables, is filled to the brim with vital nutrients. 1/2 cup of raw red tomatoes contain the following (6):
- Calories: 18 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 3.89 g
- Fats: 0.2 g
- Protein: 0.88 g
- Fiber: 1.2 g
- Sugars (glucose and fructose): 2.63 g
Tomatoes are also a rich source of such vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants as (4):
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Potassium
- Phosphorus
- Folate
- Lycopene
- Lutein
Read More: Essential Vitamins and Foods That Provide Them
Health Benefits Of Tomatoes
Due to their rich nutritional content tomatoes have a lot of health benefits. They can help you lower the risk of different diseases and improve your current condition. Some of the most significant benefits of tomatoes include their ability to (3):
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Reduce The Chance Of Cancer
High content of vitamin C and other antioxidants makes tomatoes potent at combating the free radicals that cause cancer (1).
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Promote Healthy Digestive System
Another benefit of the great number of antioxidants found in tomatoes is that they can boost your gut health (5). One study even showed that cherry tomatoes may act as a prebiotic, promoting the growth of good bacteria in your digestive system (2).
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Add To Eye Health
Some of the nutrients in tomatoes have been shown to protect your eyes against light-induced damage, prevent the occurrence of cataract and age-related macular degeneration.
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Support Heart Health
Vitamin C, fiber, potassium and choline in tomatoes may each effectively boost your heart health. Potassium, for example, is known to reduce the risks of cardiovascular diseases as well as protect the muscles from deterioration, and decrease the production of kidney stones.
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Increase Collagen Production
Collagen is vital if you want to have healthy skin, hair, nails, and connective tissues. As tomatoes are packed with vitamin C, which is responsible for the production of collagen, they may help you preserve a young and elastic skin, thick and shiny hair and strong nails.
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Risks Of Overeating Tomatoes
Despite all the health benefits which tomatoes provide our body with, overconsumption of them may have some harmful effects under certain circumstances (3):
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Usage Of Beta-Blockers
Beta-blockers are a type of medication, which is usually prescribed when a person has some heart problems. They may increase the potassium levels in the blood, and due to the high content of this nutrient in tomatoes, their consumption should be moderate, when taking beta-blockers.
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Kidney Problems
Overconsumption of potassium can also have negative effects on people who suffer from impaired kidney function.
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Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
People with this disease may want to avoid eating a lot of tomatoes, as they are acidic and may cause an increase in such symptoms as heartburn and vomiting.
Tomato Diet Plan Sample
As there are two types of tomato diet, it is recommended to follow the less restrictive and more balanced variant. So, here is the sample of a plan for one day of your balanced tomato diet:
- Breakfast: half of a cup of blueberries, a peach, a cup of grapes, an apple, half of a cup of low-fat yogurt.
- Lunch: Sandwich with tomatoes, lettuce and chicken, and tomato soup.
- Snack: mackerel in tomato sauce.
- Dinner: Fricassee of vegetables with tomatoes.
Conclusion
Tomatoes have proven their value to the whole world hundreds of years ago and are highly popular nowadays. They are rich in nutrients and have a lot of health benefits. No wonder such thing as tomato-only diet exists. It promises to help you shed 5 pounds in half of a week. Following this dietary plan for a longer period may cause a host of health problems, so it is recommended to stick to it for only 3-4 days. Also, like any other mono-diet, the tomato diet is highly restrictive and may be difficult to complete. It is not well-balanced, so before starting to follow it, please pay a visit to your doctor. Choosing to add tomatoes to a well-balanced diet, however, may have health benefits that you can take advantage of without the same risks.
DISCLAIMER:
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SOURCES:
- Daily tomato consumption may protect against skin cancer (2017, medicalnewstoday.com)
- Effect of water-soluble fraction of cherry tomatoes on the adhesion of probiotics and Salmonella to intestinal epithelial cells. (2013, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- Everything you need to know about tomatoes (2017, medicalnewstoday.com)
- How many carbs are in tomatoes? (2020, medicalnewstoday.com)
- How tomato sauce can boost your gut health (2018, medicalnewstoday.com)
- Tomatoes, raw (2020, fdc.nal.usda.gov)
