Nutritional Facts and Calories In Tomato

It is a well-known fact that it is very important to eat a high amount of fresh vegetables, in order to stay fit and healthy. This is because vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients, but are quite low in fat and calories. Therefore in case you are counting calories, that is, you are trying to lose weight, it is best for you to eat a lot of fresh vegetables during the day. One of the vegetables that can be quite beneficial and should be consumed on a regular basis is tomato. This vegetable is actually consumed in several different ways, in salads, gravies, soups, condiments and pastas.

How many calories in a tomato?

Most nutritionists, dieticians and health experts claim that tomatoes are a nutrient dense food and therefore should be consumed in several different forms each day. Many diet plans, like the General Motors diet advises people to consume a certain number of tomatoes a day, for weight loss purposes. However, it is important for you to know the nutritional facts about this vegetable before you add it to your diet. Given below is some information of tomato calories and nutrition facts for a medium sized and uncooked vegetable:

• Calories: 22 (or 92 KJ)
• Total Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Sodium: 6 mg
• Total Carbs: 5 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1 g
• Sugar: 3 g
• Protein: 1 g
• Calcium: 12.3 mg
• Potassium: 292 mg

As you can see, an uncooked tomato is quite low in calories and has zero amount of fat, which is why this vegetable is excellent for just about any weight watcher. Depending upon your age, gender and metabolic rate, you may just be able to burn off the calories in one raw tomato by jogging for around 3 minutes, typing for around 15 minutes and cleaning your house or performing other similar household chores for around 7 minutes.  However, not all of us can consume raw tomatoes each time we decide to eat this vegetable; the manner in which you cook it, as well as the other ingredients that you use, is likely to increase your caloric consumption.

Apart from the information on tomato calories and carbs, it is also important for you to bear in mind that this vegetable provides the body with lycopene, which is a very strong antioxidant and protects the body against various diseases. Some of the other nutrients present in tomato that are worth mentioning include copper, Vitamin B6, chromium, manganese, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, folate, Vitamin B1, potassium and fiber. The regular consumption of tomatoes is all the more important for men, as compared to women, as this practice protects the prostate against cancer and other such health problems.

How many calories in a tomato soup?

Tomato soup is one of the favorite recipes of many people living across the world and therefore the question as to how many calories in a tomato soup is likely to arise. You can either buy a can of readymade tomato soup from the market or you can prepare the soup at home, within a few minutes. There are several different brands of tomato soup that are available in supermarkets today. It is not just the taste and consistency that can vary from one brand to the other, but also the tomato soup calories can be different for each brand. Given below are the tomato soup calories for half a cup of various types of tomato soup:

• Regular tomato soup: 51 calories
• Condensed tomato soup: 75 calories
• Instant tomato soup made with water: 52 calories
• Cream of tomato soup, made with milk: 68 calories
• Canned tomato soup with equal volume water: 43 calories
• Canned tomato soup with equal volume milk: 81 calories
• Tomato vegetable soup, made with water: 27 calories
• Tomato vegetable soup with noodles, made with water: 36 calories
• Tomato noodle soup, made with water: 75 calories
• Tomato rice soup, made with water: 60 calories
• Tomato beef noodle soup: 70 calories

As you can see, the number of calories present in tomato soup can vary considerably based on the type of soup you opt for. Of course, you could prepare soup at home, using fresh and healthy ingredients to increase its nutritional value too. Given below is a simple recipe for fresh tomato soup:

Ingredients:

• 4 Cups of fresh tomatoes, chopped
• 4 Cloves
• 2 Cups of chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 Tablespoons of butter
• 2 Tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• 1 Onion, sliced
• 1 Teaspoon salt
• Sugar to taste

Method

Pour the broth in a cooking pot and combine the tomatoes, cloves and onions. Boil the stock for around 20 minutes on a low flame, so that the flavors of all the ingredients blend well together. Remove the broth from the heat and let it cool for a while, before running the mixture through a blender, till it reaches the desired consistency. Once done, pour the soup into a bowl and keep it aside for a few minutes In the cooking pot, melt the butter and stir the flour in, mixing it all the while so that no lumps are formed. Add a small amount of the tomato soup to avoid any lumps and then gradually pour the entire tomato soup into the cooking pot. Season the soup with salt and sugar to taste before serving it hot.

The number of tomato soup calories present in half a cup is around 36.

How many calories in a tomato juice?

There are several different brands of tomato juice too that are easily available in the markets today and the number of calories present in each of them may vary, depending upon the other ingredients that are used. On an average, a cup of packed tomato juice contains approximately between 40 and 70 calories or so.

Conclusion
Though there are several different health benefits that have been associated with tomatoes, it is absolutely essential to check with a doctor, before increasing the consumption of this vegetable.