The Tomato Diet

Healthy Tomatoes help you to lose weight A tomato diet is simple to implement. The key rule is to eat tomatoes with most of your meals, and also eat some tomato snacks.

Whether cooked or raw, tomatoes are incredibly healthy and eating more tomatoes has been found to be very good for health for both men and women. Tomatoes have long been an important element in a healthy diet.

However, new research shows that they have another previously unknown benefit.


Tomatoes Reduce Hunger in Women

Scientists at Reading University in England have discovered that the humble tomato has a little secret. Researchers are not sure at the moment which properties in the tomato help to suppress appetite, but studies have concluded that women who eat more tomatoes feel more full and are therefore less likely to snack in between meals.

Tomato Diet Tips and Ideas

Breakfast

  • Grilled tomatoes with scrambled egg on wholemeal toast
  • Tomatoes with smoked haddock or kippers

Lunch

  • Tomato soup – the simplest way to boost daily tomato intake and reduce hunger
  • Prepare a salsa style tomato sauce to accompany your meal (chopped tomatoes, green pepper, onion and herbs, salt and pepper to taste)
  • Cook pasta dishes and add extra tomato sauces
  • Hearty shepherds pie with extra tomatoes
  • Stuffed tomatoes with cous cous
  • Sandwich with any filling stuffed with extra tomatoes!
  • Tomato salads / Greek salads

Snacks

  • Tomato juice
  • Cheese and tomatoes on toast
  • Mackerel in tomato sauce
  • Sun dried tomatoes with olives

The Research Behind Tomatoes

The Reading University scientists think that the chemical lycopene could be the magic ingredient. Lycopene is the pigment that makes tomatoes red and also has other health benefits including properties that can help deter cancer. Tomatoes are also excellent at reducing cholesterol levels and help to boost male fertility.

“It was observed that the tomato-enriched bread significantly decreased the rating of hunger over the 4 h postprandial period (after eating) compared with the control and carrot-enriched bread. The tomato-enriched bread also significantly decreased the desire to eat in the subjects compared with the control bread.” T. W. George et al, 1999.

Whatever the secret ingredient in tomatoes is, it is certain that they can now be added to our list of foods that can help people lose weight. So, to get started on the tomato diet, all you need to do is eat more tomatoes!

Really tomatoes can be added to just about any meal, whether it be raw tomatoes, cooked or as a sauce, as the healthy properties in tomatoes are not broken down and destroyed during the cooking process (although cooking will still break down the vitamin C in tomatoes). So forget about the cabbage soup diet, eat tomato soup instead!

Reference

The effects of enriching white bread with vegetables on measures of hunger in young women” by T. W. George, V. Sharma, L. Methven and J. A. Lovegrove. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society (2010), 69 (OCE1), E128. Abstract

One Comment on “The Tomato Diet”

  1. This is 100% correct, it has to be the holy grail of slimming!
    I have just started eating grilled tomatoes for breakfast as a way of reducing weight. I had done no research into the properties of this fruit because, I just wanted to use it as a healthy filler. I quickly started to notice that I was not feeling hungry at all. I could go the whole day without feeling hunger pangs. In fact, I forgot about eating.
    Today, I researched the properties of tomatoes as I could not believe how I was feeling. I came across your article and thought wow, eureka!

    If the chemical Lycopene is responsible in suppressing hunger, it will turn the weight loss industry on its head. I can’t believe such a simple food has this clout!!!

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