Are Tomatoes High in Fructose?
The tomato is the fruit of the tomato plant (Solanum lycopersicum). Its importance in cuisine all around the world, but is native to South America where it was first cultivated. It is perhaps accurate to say that it is now most associated with Mediterranean cuisine, although it is equally at home in Indian or British dishes. While most often eaten as a vegetable, it is a fruit. It is considered very healthy, although they do have natural sugars. One of the common sugars found in fruit is fructose and the tomato is no exception. This can provide some concern for people who have an intolerance to fructose.
If you have an intolerance to fruit sugars, oneHOWTO asks are tomatoes high in fructose? In addition to looking at the fructose content of tomatoes, we explain how to eat them if you have an intolerance.
Are tomatoes high in fructose?
Fructose is a sugar found naturally in honey, vegetables and fruits. It's also found in processed foods, usually added as a sweetener. It is often used in a high-fructose syrup form which is added to food and drink as an alternative to glucose. This can help people with certain illnesses such as diabetics, but it does not necessarily mean it is healthy.
And at the molecular level, fructose is a 6-carbon monosaccharide that can be found in four forms:
- Pure monosaccharide (i.e. fructose): commonly known as simple sugars.
- Disaccharide (in the form of sucrose): in the human diet, fructose is most commonly present as a disaccharide known as sucrose (common sugar), resulting from the combination of glucose and fructose.
- Polysaccharides and oligosaccharides: it is also found in polymerized forms.
Tomatoes do contain fructose, but only in small amounts. While it is all relative, this means that tomatoes are not high in fructose. Some people are fructose intolerant, but there's no single cause of this condition. It can be due to an immature digestive tract, resulting in decreased expression of the fructose transporter expressed in intestinal cell membranes. This is common in children.
Fructose intolerance in both children and adults is usually secondary to an undiagnosed or untreated pathology. Such pathologies include:
- Celiac disease
- Small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
- Pancreatic insufficiency
- Bile acid malabsorption
- Parasitosis
- Helicobacter pylori infection
- Whipple's disease
- Inflammatory bowel disease (e.g. colitis, Crohn's, etc.)
- Thyroid problems
- Intestinal resections
Fructose intolerance is caused by a loss of integrity of the intestinal mucosa. Whether due to an undiagnosed condition, inadequate treatment or improper treatment, it can cause damage to the intestinal wall, resulting in a reduction in the surface area for absorption.
Are tomatoes suitable for people with fructose intolerance?
As previously mentioned, tomatoes do not contain a high amount of fructose. This isn't usually a problem for people with fructose intolerance. In general, the body tolerates tomatoes well. They can be part of a low-fructose diet, but always in moderate portions.
Due to its low fructose content, tomatoes are a suitable food for people with fructose intolerance. However, it is important to consult a doctor about the appropriateness of consuming tomatoes if you have this type of intolerance. This is especially if you experience any of the following symptoms after eating tomatoes:
- Gas
- Bloating
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Borborygmus (bowel sounds)
- Abdominal distension
If you do experience these symptoms for more than 24 hours, consult a doctor. They will be able to help determine if it is fructose related or of another origin.
Learn more about preparing your own homemade food with our article explaining how to make tomato sauce to preserve in a jar.
How to eat tomatoes if you have fructose intolerance
If you have a fructose intolerance and want to eat tomatoes safely, it is important you know there are still risks. This is why we provide some tips on eaten tomatoes if you have a fructose intolerance:
- To incorporate tomatoes into low-fructose diets, you can make a variety of recipes such as fresh tomato salads, homemade tomato sauces for pasta or baked sliced tomatoes with herbs.
- Avoid any condiments that contain added fructose. This way, you'll make tomato-based dishes suitable for people with fructose intolerance.
- Canned tomatoes and tomato sauces can have higher amounts of fructose. We recommend avoiding them. Choose fresh tomatoes and homemade tomato sauces, as this way you'll have better control over all the ingredients they contain.
- The key to eating tomatoes if you're fructose intolerant is to control the quantities and choose the preparation method that best suits you.
- If you're fructose intolerant, haven't eaten tomatoes in a while and are tempted to try them, try eating a small amount raw to see how your body digests it normally. Half a small tomato should be enough to gradually reinitiate consumption.
- Cooking tomatoes is a good option because it helps reduce their fructose content.
Now you know that tomatoes contain fructose, but only in small amounts. In principle, they're suitable for people with fructose intolerance because the amount in tomatoes is very low and doesn't usually affect them.
Discover more about how this fruit affects human health with our article asking are tomatoes bad for gout?
This article is merely informative, oneHOWTO does not have the authority to prescribe any medical treatments or create a diagnosis. We invite you to visit your doctor if you have any type of condition or pain.
If you want to read similar articles to Are Tomatoes High in Fructose?, we recommend you visit our Diseases & secondary effects category.
