Tomato is known to have one of the lowest calorie counts. The number of calories in Tomatoes varies depending upon tomato’s size and the way it is cooked. A thin tomato slice of 0.5 oz has 3 calories, a thick tomato slice of 1 oz contains 5 calories, a small tomato of around 3.2 oz has 16 calories, a medium tomato of around 4.3 oz contains 22 calories and a large tomato of 6.4 oz has 33 calories. The calorie content in an Italian tomato of approximately 2.2 oz has 11 calories and a plum tomato of around 2.2 oz also has 11 calories. One oz of tomato flesh has 5 calories, 10 grams of tomato flesh has 3 calories and a 3.5 oz of crushed canned tomatoes contains 32 calories.
Tomatoes can be had in different forms; you may consume tomato in raw form, have tomato juice, tomato soup, tomato sauce, etc. The calorie content in each of these forms is different from the other; it is low in most of them. Tomatoes are known to have low fat content and the cholesterol level in a tomato is nil. They are also a good source of antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and dietary fiber. Tomatoes are recommended by dieticians for reducing weight. They are also helpful in controlling the cholesterol.
The antioxidants available in tomatoes help in protecting against various kinds of cancers including colon cancer, prostate cancer, endometrial cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer and pancreatic tumors. Tomatoes when had in raw form also act as a rich source of potassium. Each 100 grams of tomato has 237 mg potassium. The sodium content in 100 grams of tomato is 5 mg. Tomato also contains a reasonable amount of various B-complex vitamins like Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folate and Niacin. It also has a moderate amount of calcium, iron and manganese.
