The tomato diet is generating more and more enthusiasm among people looking for effective ways to lose excess weight. It is based on one of the tastiest vegetables, does not introduce too many dietary restrictions, is easy to follow, gives good results and does not take too long – this is what amateur slimmers need.
Table of contents
- 1 Why tomatoes?
- 2 Tomato – an ally of weight loss and health
- 3 What is the tomato diet all about?
- 4 Tomato diet – how much weight can you lose?
- 5 Tomato diet – effects (not only slimming)
- 6 Who can and who should not use the tomato treatment?
- 7 Which tomatoes are the best?
- 8 Tomato diet – the menu
- 9 Proposal No. 1
- 10 Proposal no. 2
- 11 Suggestion no. 3
Why tomatoes?
A diet based on these products is more than just a weight loss treatment. Yes, tomatoes are conducive to weight loss, but they also have a beneficial effect on the health and condition of the body. What is more, they improve the condition of the skin, hair and nails, so our beauty. Moreover, tomato diet, unlike many other weight loss treatments, does not have to be monotonous. This is because it is not usually based solely on eating these vegetables.
Admittedly, tomatoes should be in the composition of each of the main meals, but in addition to them we can eat other healthy products, namely groats, lean meat, fish, other vegetables and fruits. It is only important not to exceed the daily calorie limit.
The possibility of eating tomatoes in various forms: primarily raw, but also boiled, baked, fried, stewed, grilled, in the form of juice and with the addition of other vegetables, prevents the uniformity of the diet.
Tomato – an ally of weight loss and health
Tomato is one of those foods that is ideal for the base of a weight loss diet. It consists mainly of water, which means that it contains very few calories (about 30 kcal in one tomato!). Therefore, we can eat them in any quantity without worrying that we will gain weight.
Tomatoes contain many vitamins and minerals and other substances important for health. In the first place we should mention potassium, which ensures proper heart function, regulates blood pressure and cholesterol levels, minimising the risk of stroke, atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases. Potassium affects the body’s water balance and the acid-base balance, acts as a diuretic and influences the functioning of hormones.
In tomatoes we can also find lycopene, a strong antioxidant, which also prevents atherosclerosis and heart disease, as well as some cancers, such as cervical cancer. Vitamins C, which strengthens immunity, and A, which has a beneficial effect on the eyes and the condition of the skin, hair and nails, among other things, are also very important.
What is more, tomatoes contain a lot of dietary fibre, which influences the feeling of satiety and increases the pace of metabolism. Fiber has a beneficial effect on the work of intestines, cleanses the digestive tract, and regulates digestion.
What is the tomato diet all about?
As most slimming diets, also tomato diet has a few variations, more and less restrictive. The 3-day tomato diet and the 5-day tomato diet (during which we eat almost exclusively tomatoes) are more focused on a comprehensive detox of the body than on burning fat tissue, so slimming people should rather lean towards the other variant of this diet.
If we care about a permanent slimming effect, a long-term tomato diet is the best choice. Introducing it we are not condemned to eating only this vegetable. It is supposed to be a basic component of our daily menu, but of course we can allow ourselves to have meals without it.
Here are the main rules of the long-term tomato diet:
- the diet lasts about 10-14 days
- We eat about 1200-1300 kcal every day, with the tomato playing the main role in our meals
- Eat 5 small meals a day.
- a varied menu – tomatoes are consumed in different forms: raw, in juices, smoothies, pastes, salads and as an addition to hot dishes
- Apart from tomatoes our menu should include: other vegetables, lean meat and fish, lean dairy products, fruit, wholemeal bread, groats, rice, cereals, bran, wholemeal pasta
- we give up sweets, alcohol, fast food, ready meals, all fatty and flour dishes
- drink about 3 litres of fluids every day – still mineral water, soups, herbal teas, vegetable or natural fruit juices
Tomato diet – how much weight can you lose?
How many kg can you lose on a tomato diet? A lot depends on how much excess weight we have to deal with (in general, people who have a lot to lose, lose weight faster) and individual predispositions of the body, but on average for about 10-14 days we can lose about 2-3 kg. If this is too little weight loss for you, after finishing the diet you should eat light, healthy food and avoid fattening foods. After about a month we can repeat the tomato diet.
Since we are dealing with a low calorie diet, even if we ease the restrictions but keep a healthy, balanced diet with reduced energy value, in the long run we can expect a lasting effect in the form of maintaining a slim figure for years.
Tomato diet – effects (not only slimming)
As already mentioned, the tomato is very rich in valuable substances for our body. It contains vitamins: A, C, E, K, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, biotin, folic acid and minerals: potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, calcium, copper. Moreover, it abounds in lycopene, a component which belongs to the group of antioxidants and is very valuable to our body. Due to the rich composition of the tomato, a diet based on this vegetable can reflect positively not only on our weight, but also on health and beauty.
Tomato diet will help in combating hypertension and too high cholesterol levels. It will have a positive influence on the work of our brain, heart and circulatory system, as well as on our immunity. Eating large amounts of tomatoes will also effectively get rid of toxins from the body and improve metabolism and digestive system.
The tomato diet, thanks to the presence of valuable substances, will also benefit our skin – it will be smoother, firmer, more radiant and younger. Vitamin C oxygenates the skin and improves its appearance, vitamins A and E protect the skin from premature aging, as well as lycopene and beta-carotene, which fight free radicals.
Who can and who should not use the tomato treatment?
In principle, the only contraindications are pregnancy and kidney disease. Other than that, everyone can benefit from it, regardless of health or age. It is especially recommended, of course, to people struggling with excess weight, but also to patients with high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels. Due to the fact that tomatoes are a rich source of potassium, the treatment is also recommended to people with deficiencies of this important element.
Which tomatoes are the best?
Well, the nutritional value and effectiveness in terms of weight loss does not depend at all on the type of tomato. And we have quite a lot of them available. Apart from the most popular round red ones, there are raspberry ones, very juicy, delicate and slightly sweet; dwarf ones – sold with twigs, with intensive taste and smell, very juicy; tiny cherry ones; pepper ones – resembling peppers on the outside or, finally, so called buffalo hearts – oblong, with hard flesh and less juice and seeds.
Apart from red tomatoes, there are also yellow ones, with a sweet, herbal taste; green ones, reminiscent of courgettes; and even black ones. All of them are equally valuable, and the only criterion for choice should be the freshness of the fruit and its origin. If the tomato is firm and has a distinct, pleasant smell, it means that it has ripened in natural conditions.
When introducing a tomato diet, try to make sure that at least 3 out of 5 daily meals contain tomatoes or its products. In between meals do not forget to drink mineral water, which is an essential component of almost all weight loss diets. Here are sample menus in the tomato diet:
Proposal No. 1
- Breakfast: wholemeal bread sandwiches with tomato paste, nuts and parsley
- Second breakfast: grapefruit
- Lunch: approx. half a glass of brown rice, chicken legs baked in tomatoes, carrot salad
- Snack: rice wafer, glass of tomato juice
- Dinner: tomatoes stuffed with hard-boiled eggs
Proposal no. 2
- Breakfast: cottage cheese with tomatoes, wholemeal bread
- Second breakfast: tomatoes with onion and natural yoghurt
- Dinner: light vegetable soup (tomatoes, peppers, courgettes, leek, celery, carrots, green beans) seasoned with basil, oregano, sweet and hot paprika
- Snack: fruit salad
- Dinner: graham, salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, olives and radishes (seasoned with lemon juice, oil, herbs)
Suggestion no. 3
- Breakfast: two slices of wholemeal bread, 4 slices of chicken tenderloin, tomato juice
- Second breakfast: rice on milk with fruit
- Dinner: salmon from the oven with tomatoes and lettuce
- Snack: slice of bread with tomato paste and cottage cheese
- Dinner: courgette, pepper and tomato casserole
Proposal no 4
- Breakfast: scrambled 2 eggs, tomato, dark bread
- Second breakfast: rice wafer, natural yoghurt, fruit
- Dinner: spaghetti with tomato and tuna
- Snack: Greek salad
- Dinner: two slices of dark bread with cold cuts of meat, tomato juice
Proposal no 5
- Breakfast: natural cottage cheese, big tomato sprinkled with green parsley or chives, herbal tea
- Second breakfast: slice of bread, small portion of sprats in tomato sauce
- Lunch: chicken breast in tomato sauce, two small potatoes
- Snack: natural yoghurt with fresh fruit
- Dinner: omelette with peas
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Sources:
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/tomatoes#vitamins-and-minerals
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/lycopene
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31120074/
- https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/health-properties-tomatoes#1
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/273031#nutrition
