Can a diabetic eat tomatoes?
Yes. A diabetic can eat tomatoes as part of diabetic diet. A diabetic need not fear any blood sugar spikes, weight gain or other diabetic complications for eating tomatoes.
Do tomatoes cause blood sugar spikes?
No, tomatoes do not generally cause blood sugar spikes. Tomatoes have low glycaemic index (GI) and are low in carbohydrates. This means eating tomatoes does not lead to sudden spikes in blood sugar levels. However, if you are eating tomato-based food with lot of added sugar, it is a different story. Any added sugar can lead to blood sugar spikes. Added salt to any tomato-based food can high raised blood pressure.
Why can a diabetic eat tomatoes?
Tomato has low carbohydrate content. This makes it great for a diabetic to eat. Being low in carbs, tomatoes metabolise slowly. This means your body digests and absorbs tomatoes slowly. This is always good for a diabetic.
Tomato also has low glycaemic index (GI). As a result, eating a tomato does not cause much rise in blood sugar levels.
Tomatoes are low in calories. So, eating tomatoes does not lead to any weight gain. Generally, weight gain is a serious concern for diabetics. Most diabetics are over-weight and fear obesity related complications.
As eating tomato does not cause spikes in blood sugar levels or increase in weight, tomato is great for diabetics to eat. Moreover, tomato is rich in water, vitamins, minerals and nutrients.
Research has proved that diabetics can reduce risk of cardiovascular disease or complications by eating tomatoes regularly.
Tomatoes help regulate blood pressure in type 2 diabetics. This is more the case when diabetics eat raw tomatoes.
If a diabetic eats tomatoes regularly, it can control the cholesterol levels. This is helpful for diabetics because high cholesterol can lead to cardiac risks in diabetics.
Iron, vitamin C, vitamin E are abundant in tomato. So tomato in a way is a super food for diabetics.
