Question on tomatoes
 

Jerry (chewie) and I have both loaned out our SP books...what's with tomatoes...carb or not? If so, what is a 15 g serving size?

Thanks all!

Lisa

Tomatoes are listed on p. 257 as a non-starchy vegetable ... They're also listed on p. 268 as a fruit ;)

1 medium fresh tomato has 5.7g carbs/ 1.4g fiber; ½ cup chopped is 4.2g carbs/ 1g fiber.

½ cup canned tomatoes (whole) = 6g carbs/ 2g fiber.

2 Tbsp tomato paste = 6g carbs/ 1g fiber

½ cup tomato sauce = 6g carbs/ 1g fiber

hth,

Doreen

Thanks doreen!
 

Great...so no actual stand on the tomato issue then.

Jerry I think you should use your discretion...if you think the tomatoes are an issue then eat less.

Lisa

In Dana Carpender's book (How I Gave Up My Low-Fat Diet and Lost 40 Pounds), she says that both onions and tomatoes are high-carb veges (onions are if they are cooked, like how Dr. S. treats carrots) and should be eaten in moderation. I hope Dr. S. clarifies the tomato issue in her new book, but I consider both of those "vegetables" as borderline veges and they help me "validate" not eating starchy vegetables to get me carb alottment each day (another Dr. S. point about if you eat enough non-starchy veges, you don't have to eat starchy ones).

Sounds kinda screwy, I know, but it's working for me. And tomatoes and cooked onions are two of my favorite vegetables, so I don't really limit them much.

;-Deb

Perhaps when cooked...
 

Lisaf:

I recently joined the Schwarzbein discussion list on Yahoo! Groups and they send a packet of information sheets when you sign up. Some of them are basically taken straight from the book, but there are a few that seem to be from another source (lectures?). Anyway, in one of them they state that raw tomatoes are considered non-starchy vegetables while cooked tomatoes are carby. Not sure how that works, exactly, but it might be a guideline. I generally try to watch the tomato intake. I might eat 2 a day on weekends but stay clear the rest of the week. Unless I'm making the Carbonara Salad from the SP Vegetarian cookbook, which uses plum (I substitute stewed) tomatoes which are cooked, in which case I assume the carb count in the recipe includes the tomatoes.

Does that make sense?

Dew

Perfect sense...thanks Dew!

I eat my tomatos raw 90 percent of the time. So I will continue to consider them as non starchy vegetable. Thanks to all of you for your input.

Re: Perhaps when cooked...
 

I think the reason is due to how some veggies turn from low glycemic into high glycemic through cooking. That's how Montignac explains why raw carrots are o.k., while cooked carrots are not.

Wa'il

hi can any1 tell me if this principal works with atkins? i love tomatoes(raw) but havent been eating them thanks mal

On the video I watched of Diana's interview on a T.V. show, as a Schwarzbein meal she had a bunch of tomato slices on the plate as veggies - not carbs.

Judy