Keto Means
Photo by KoolShooters Pexels Logo Photo: KoolShooters

Is tomato sauce OK on a keto 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.

How often can you eat on keto?
How often can you eat on keto?

The ketogenic diet has a lot of health benefits. When it comes to weight loss, it the most effective diet plans. However, you must adhere to the...

Read More »
Do you need to refrigerate almond milk?
Do you need to refrigerate almond milk?

Once you open almond milk—any kind of almond milk, including homemade almond milk— always refrigerate it. If possible, keep almond milk toward the...

Read More »

The ketogenic diet is a high fat diet that drastically restricts your intake of carbs to around 50 grams per day. To achieve this, the diet requires you to cut out or severely limit your intake of carb-rich foods, including grains, legumes, starchy vegetables, and fruit. 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. This article discusses how keto-friendly tomatoes truly are. Share on Pinterest How to achieve ketosis on a ketogenic diet The ketogenic diet is designed to put your body in ketosis, a metabolic state in which your body starts burning fat for energy and producing ketones as a byproduct ( 1 ). A ketogenic diet is most commonly used to reduce seizures in people with epilepsy. However, it has also been linked to a range of additional health benefits, including weight loss, improved blood sugar control, and perhaps even a healthier heart ( 2 , 3 , 4 ). To achieve ketosis, your body needs to switch from using carbs to using fat as its main fuel source. To make this possible, your daily carb intake needs to drop to less than 5–10% of your daily calories, typically adding up to less than 50 grams of carbs per day ( 2 ). Depending on the type of ketogenic diet you follow, the reduction in calories is partially offset by an increased intake of calories from fat or fat together with protein ( 2 ). Fruit, such as apples and pears, contain around 20–25 grams of carbs per serving. This groups them together with other carb-rich foods, such as grains, legumes, starchy vegetables, and sugary foods — all of which are restricted on a ketogenic diet ( 5 , 6 ). summary A ketogenic diet is designed to allow you to reach ketosis. For this to happen, you must severely restrict your intake of carb-rich foods, including fruit. Tomatoes are different from other fruit Botanically speaking, tomatoes are considered a fruit. However, unlike other fruit, they’re considered keto-friendly. That’s because tomatoes contain around 2–3 grams of net carbs per 3.5 ounces (100 grams) — or up to 10 times fewer net carbs than most fruit — regardless of their variety ( 5 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ). Net carbs are calculated by taking the carb content of a food and deducting its fiber content. Hence, tomatoes are much easier to fit within the daily carb limit than other fruit, which is what makes tomatoes keto-friendly. The same can be said of other low carb fruits, including zucchini, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, and avocado. 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. summary 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. Not all tomato-based foods are keto-friendly 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. summary 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.

Is mozzarella cheese keto-friendly?
Is mozzarella cheese keto-friendly?

Mozzarella (Whole Milk) With a total carb count of 1 gram per ounce, it is yet another keto-friendly cheese to keep on-hand. Mozzarella also...

Read More »
Can you eat fruit daily on keto?
Can you eat fruit daily on keto?

People following a keto diet can still enjoy some fruit in moderation. Fruits offer essential nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, which are...

Read More »

What is the number one snack to lower blood sugar?
What is the number one snack to lower blood sugar?

nuts But there is one food that stands alone as the best snack for lower blood sugar: nuts. Nuts are delicious, nutritious and incredibly versatile...

Read More »
Can I eat as much as I want on keto diet?
Can I eat as much as I want on keto diet?

While it's true that the keto diet involves eating lots of protein and fat with very limited carbohydrates, it doesn't mean you can eat in infinite...

Read More »
What are the three harmful foods to avoid?
What are the three harmful foods to avoid?

Some Of The Unhealthy Foods That You Should Avoid Are Sugar: Sugar is a complete source of empty calories as it have 100% of energy and no other...

Read More »
Does fiber lower fasting blood sugar?
Does fiber lower fasting blood sugar?

Health Benefits of Fiber Specifically, fiber can help: Control your blood sugar. Because the body is unable to absorb and break down fiber, it...

Read More »