27 Interesting Tomato Nutrition Facts

By Karin Lehnardt, Senior Writer

Published June 10, 2019Updated August 3, 2019

Tomatoes have all 4 major carotenoids: 1) alpha-caroten, 2) betacaroten, 3) lutein, and 4) lycopene. While they have individual benefits, when all four are present in a food item, they work in synergy to provide a powerful health boost._[4]
A diet rich in tomatoes and tomato-based products has been shown to reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer._[4]
While bananas are famous for being rich in potassium, tomato paste has more. Just three tablespoons of tomato paste have 486mg of potassium, while a medium-sized banana has about 422 mg._[4]
Tomatoes, especially cooked tomatoes, increase the concentration of lycopene in breast milk._[4]

Tomatoes were originally seen as poisonous

The tomato was considered poisonous by many people in Europe and America until the mid 1800s. Many wealthy Europeans used pewter plates, which were high in lead content. Because tomatoes are highly acidic, they would easily leach lead form the plates, resulting in many cases of lead poisoning and death._[5]
Tomato peels contain a high concentration of the carotenoids in tomatoes. The skin also holds the most flavonols._[4]
Botanically, a tomato is a fruit because it is a ripened flower ovary and contains seeds. Some nutritionists consider tomatoes a vegetable because they are used in savoury rather than sweet dishes._[5]
A tomato that has been allowed to ripen on the vine has up to ten times better taste than tomatoes picked when they were still green._[5]
Americans eat more tomatoes per person than any other fruit or vegetable, except potatoes (due to french fry consumption)._[5]
Yellow, orange, and white tomatoes do not have less acid than red tomatoes. They do have a higher sugar content, which can mask their acidity._[5]
Because a commercial market tomato is picked while "mature-green" and is gas ripened with ethylene, it has significantly less vitamin C and beta-carotene than a homegrown, vine-ripened tomato._[5]

It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.

- Lewis Grizzard

Contrary to common belief, the tomato is a perennial. It is grown as a warm-season annual because it is sensitive to frost._[5]
California produces over 86% of the U.S. supply of processing tomatoes and over 40% of the world's supply._[5]
The W. Atlee Burpee Company introduced the first hybrid tomato in 1945—the "Burpee Hybrid."_[5]
Trellised (supported) tomato plants produce higher quality fruit than unsupported plants._[5]
Every year, the small village of Bunol in Valencia, Spain, holds the largest tomato war in the world. For two hours, participants throw ripe, red tomatoes at each other._[2]
Research indicates that a diet that includes tomatoes can significantly decrease the risk of heart disease._[5]

Tomatoes are packed with all sorts of health benefits

The word "tomato" is from the Nahuatl word "tomatl," which means "the swelling fruit."_[2]
There are over 10,000 types of tomatoes that come in a wide spectrum of colors, such as pink, purple, black, yellow, and white._[2]
The Spanish introduced tomatoes to Europe in the early 1600s. Tomatoes were initially used only as ornamental plants because they were considered to be poisonous._[2]
The gene that commercial producers bred into tomatoes to give them a uniform color had the unintended consequence of destroying the tomato's flavor. This mutation has been bred into almost all commercial American tomatoes._[3]
In 2013, a UK company perfected the "TomTato," which is a plant that grows tomatoes above the ground and potatoes below._[6]
While tomato juice in America is usually made from tomato paste, Canadian regulations require fresh tomatoes._[1]

Tomatoes are a berry

Tomatoes are a type of berry._[2]
Ketchup was originally a Chinese fish sauce that contained zero tomatoes._[5]
The human body cannot digest tomato seeds. Therefore, it is not unusual to see tomato plants growing in sewage systems._[6]
Tomatoes contain a significant amount of calcium and Vitamin K, which helps maintain and build strong bones._[4]