Go Ahead, Have As Many Tomatoes As You Want on Keto (2024)

FAQs

Go Ahead, Have As Many Tomatoes As You Want on Keto? ›

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.

"They're low in carbs, so they fit perfectly into keto." One whole medium tomato contains roughly 5 grams of carbohydrates, of which 1.5 grams are fiber and 3 grams are sugar. 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).

You do not have to limit vegetables if you are on the keto diet or are considering it. Plenty of low-carb vegetable options include arugula, asparagus, bell peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, mushrooms, spinach, and tomatoes.

Most common salad ingredients are keto compliant, but it's a good idea to double-check your ingredients. All types of low carb vegetables are permitted on a keto diet, including romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, avocados, and more.

Cucumbers are made of 90% water and are almost calorie-free. One cup of cucumbers contains only 16 calories and 3 grams of net carbs, making it a sure fit for a keto plan.

Yep! Most raw tomatoes have less than 4 net carbs in a 100-gram (g) serving. So, you can totes eat tomatoes while on a keto or low carb diet.

Foods you can eat on the keto diet include fish and seafood, meat and poultry, non-starchy vegetables like bell peppers, broccoli, and zucchini, avocados, berries, nuts and seeds, eggs, high-fat dairy products, olive oil and other oils, and high-cocoa chocolate.

For the human body to turn fat into ketones, it needs plenty of water, as this process doesn't just occur in the digestive tract—the body's stores of fat are also converted to ketones, providing an extra energy boost between meals. Water is an essential tool for getting the most out of your keto diet.

Not watching your carb intake - Sugar and refined carbs are in many foods. You should be aiming to eliminate these from your keto diet. “Try to keep your net carb content under 20 grams/day or total carbs under 30 grams,” Dr Riggs says. Keep close track of your sugar and carb intake by reading nutrition labels.

Though botanically a fruit, raw tomatoes are considered keto-friendly, as they contain significantly fewer carbs than the same quantity of fruit. The same cannot be said of sundried tomatoes, as well as many other prepackaged tomato-based products, which are often sweetened with sugar.

Is sour cream keto? ›

Regular, full fat sour cream is made from cream and contains far more fat than carbs. Therefore, it's considered keto-friendly. However, low fat or nonfat sour cream is not. Full fat sour cream can provide some variety in a keto diet when used as a dip base or incorporated into recipes to boost the fat content.

Keto fruits by definition are low in carbohydrates. You still need to exercise portion control with most keto-friendly fruits to be within the limits of a keto diet. Keto-friendly fruits include avocados, watermelon, strawberries, lemons, tomatoes, raspberries, peaches, cantaloupe, star fruit, and blackberries.

Vegetables have carbohydrates. And that means that you have to watch how much of them you eat — even lettuce. If you're not careful or are eating them as a free-for-all, you could overconsume carbs and kick yourself out of ketosis.

However, although tomatoes are technically a fruit, one medium-sized tomato (about 120 grams) contains only 4-5 grams of carbohydrates and only 3 grams of sugar, making it fine to include in a keto diet.

Starchy vegetables contain more digestible carbohydrates than fiber and should be limited when you're on the ketogenic diet. These include corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes and beets. Limit high-sugar fruits too, which spike your blood sugar more quickly than berries and have more carbohydrates.

If you just want a handful of them, the carb count is still low. Five cherry tomatoes yield 3.3 grams total carbs and 2.3 grams net carbs [*].

Tinned tomatoes are not necessarily inferior to the fresh ones when it comes to nutrition, but it's the potential for added ingredients – especially sugar and sweetened tomato paste – that make these products less keto friendly.

Carbs comprise 4% of raw tomatoes, which amounts to fewer than 5 grams of carbs for a medium specimen (123 grams). Simple sugars, such as glucose and fructose, make up almost 70% of the carb content.