If you are interested in the carbs in cherry tomatoes because you want to lose weight in the long term, know that vegetables and fruits, in general, are not bad or good for losing weight by default. This mindset has to change if you want to understand the connection between diet and weight loss truly.
It is in the preparation of the food that we can gain or lose weight. The food alone is not the center. So even if you have oven-dried cherry tomatoes often, if you are still drinking large quantities of sugary beverages, you will still likely gain weight than lose it.
Is It Good to Eat Cherry Tomatoes?
Knowing how many carbs in cherry tomatoes is good, but what about the other nutrients and benefits of eating cherry tomatoes and tomatoes in general?
The humble tomato family (which includes the ubiquitous and kitchen-useful cherry tomato) produces fruits. Due to the richness of the flavor and tomatoes’ composition, they are prepared as vegetables instead of fruits. Nonetheless, tomatoes are a good source of lycopene. Lycopene has long been known as a very heart-friendly compound.
More recent studies show that lycopene can reduce oxidative stress in the heart, which benefits individuals suffering from heart disease. Lycopene is the red pigment in this fruit and has many health benefits that adding tomatoes to your diet is a good step in maintaining heart health.
Tomatoes also contain beta carotene. Beta carotene is another antioxidant that benefits the eyes. When consumed, the body transforms beta carotene into usable vitamin A, which benefits joints, skin, eyes, and other organs. Naringenin is found on the skin of cherry tomatoes. It is a type of flavonoid that helps protect the body from tissue inflammation. And finally, there is chlorogenic acid. Chlorogenic acid is potentially useful in patients who have high blood pressure.
When you regularly consume tomatoes, you are setting yourself up for reduced stroke and heart attack risks. There is also evidence that tomatoes can help individuals suffering from elevated levels of LDL or low-density lipoproteins. LDL refers to the more common “bad cholesterol” that is treated in people with heart disease.
Studies also indicate that inflammation markers related to metabolic disorders, which give birth to diseases like hypertension and diabetes, are also reduced with regular consumption of tomatoes. Tomatoes also appear to benefit the blood vessels by protecting the thin inner layer of the vessels. This helps reduce the occurrence of deadly clots that can cause thrombosis and even heart attacks.
Cherry tomatoes and other tomatoes also show promise in reducing the incidence of lung cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer. Women, significantly, will benefit from eating lots of tomatoes because of the compound called carotenoids. Carotenoids specifically are promising in cutting down the risk of breast cancer.
What Is the Nutritional Value of a Cherry Tomato? How many calories is one cherry tomato?
One cherry tomato is just 3.1 calories of energy. Cherry tomatoes carbs are 0.7 gram per cherry tomato. You will also get 0.2 gram of fiber, 0.5 gram of sugar, 40 mg of potassium, 0.8 mg of sodium, 2.8% of the RDA for vitamin, 3.9% of the RDA for vitamin C, 0.1% of the RDA for calcium and 0.3% of the RDA for iron. This food is virtually sodium-free with such a low amount of naturally-occurring sodium; it is a low-calorie food, making it excellent for weight loss efforts. It is naturally fat-free and cholesterol-free as well.
Since cherry tomatoes are tangy and sweet simultaneously, there’s no need to add sugar when cooking. A cup of cherry tomatoes will give you a large dose of vitamin A and vitamin C, both of which are excellent for general health.
Do Cherry Tomatoes Help You Lose Weight?
Having known the calories in cherry tomatoes will already give you a clue as to whether cherry tomatoes are useful for losing weight or not. If we look at tomatoes’ composition, this vegetable appears to be a useful aid for losing weight because of its low calories and heart-healthy benefits.
It’s good to have a vegetable that supports the heart, especially if you already have a heart ailment. Keeping the heart healthy will also ensure that you won’t have any problems engaging in regular physical exercises to lose weight.
Tomatoes also naturally contain chromium, which is utilized by the body for the effective burning of sugar. This means that as you eat vegetables like tomatoes, your body increases its capacity to burn energy rather than store it.
Blood sugar regulation is also essential for overall health, to avoid problems related to insulin sensitivity and reduced capacity to burn sugar. Too much sugar can damage the blood vessels, the kidneys, the heart, and the liver. Therefore, you must begin changing how you eat if you are serious about losing weight.
If you are interested in adding more tomatoes to your diet, know that the best ones are produced during the warmer summer months. You can also consider growing tomatoes at home as they are not demanding plants. We recommend that you purchase cherry tomatoes from regular farm stands. Organic tomatoes are always best, even though they may be more expensive than supermarkets. If this isn’t possible, there is no harm in buying fresh tomatoes from the grocery.
Buying local is recommended because preservatives won’t be that necessary if you are buying tomatoes from a producer nearby. You can also ask the grower how they grow the tomatoes – you have more control of the vegetables that make it to your plate. You can add cherry tomatoes to a variety of dishes, including our favorite salads. They are flavorful and sweet on their own.
