Tomato Nutrition Facts & Health Benefits
Tomato is an essential edible fruit also used as a vegetable in many cuisines around the world. Tomatoes are grown in temperate climates and greenhouses. More than half the tomato production happens in China. In many parts of the world, the tomatoes produced are consumed locally due to limitation in storage, limited value and shelf life.
Tomatoes are used in making ketchup, hot sauce, tomato sauce as well as tomato paste. The universal production and use of tomatoes has made tomatoes a national vegetable in many countries. In fact, La Tomatina is a tomato festival celebrated in Bunol, Spain at the end of August every year.
Various types of tomatoes are grown including plum, cherry and grape types of tomatoes. San Marzano is a plum variety of tomato known for its use in Pizza. Popular commercial tomato cultivars include Adoration, Alicante, Big Beef, Brandywine, Campari, Celebrity, Great White, Matt’s Wild Cherry, Plum tomato, Roma, San Marzano, Santorini, Tomaccio, Tomkin and Super Sweet 100.
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Tomato Nutrition Information
Tomato has 95% water and 4% carbohydrates and a small amount of vitamins and minerals. It has 18kcal of energy in every 100 gram of tomato, one of the lowest among edible fruits due to its high water content. Tomato is both considered a fruit and vegetable and utilized in various food recipes, salads, garnishes, ketchups, jams and flavorings.
Nutrition information in 100g of apple
Energy 74kJ (18kcal)
Carbohydrates 3.9 g
Sugars 2.6 g
Dietary fiber 1.2 g
Fat 0.2 g
Protein 0.9 g
| Vitamins | Quantity | % Daily Intake |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin A | 42 μg | 5% |
| Thiamine (B1) | 0.037 mg | 3% |
| Niacin (B3) | 0.594 mg | 4% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.08 mg | 6% |
| Vitamin C | 14 mg | 17% |
| Vitamin E | 0.54 mg | 4% |
| Vitamin K | 7.9 μg | 8% |
| Minerals | Quantity | % Daily Intake |
|---|---|---|
| Magnesium | 11 mg | 3% |
| Manganese | 0.114 mg | 5% |
| Phosphorus | 24 mg | 3% |
| Potassium | 237 mg | 5% |
Tomato Health Benefits
Tomatoes contain powerful antioxidant lycopene. They also have potassium mineral content, good for heart health. Lycopene may improve vision care as they also have beta-carotene content. The dietary fiber in tomatoes may improve digestion and reduce constipation. They also improve skin care. The research study conducted may indicate that they also protect against various types of cancer.
