When you’re on the ketogenic diet, is a tomato or a carrot the better choice?

Timestamps:
0:00 On the ketogenic diet which is better, a tomato or a carrot?
0:50 I recommend counting the net carb not the total carb
3:02 One cup of potato has ten times more carbs than one cup of tomato
4:14 Starch is a type of carbohydrate that will affect your blood sugar if you cook it

In this video, I discuss if the tomato or carrot is better on a ketogenic diet. I wanted to explain the concepts of total carbs and net carbs in foods, along with fiber and sugar. There are some vegetables that are higher in fiber and lower in sugar than others. Celery, for example, is high in fiber and has almost no sugar or carbohydrate content.

On keto, you of course want low carb and low sugar. You’re allowed 20 to 50 grams of carbohydrates per day. I recommend counting the net carb, not the total carb because the fiber content — which is used to calculate net carbs — has no influence on insulin.

One cup of tomato has 4.8 grams of carbs compared to a cup of carrot with 11 grams. The tomato has 1.5 grams of fiber, for a net carb count of 3.3 grams. A carrot has 3 grams of fiber, giving it a net carb count of 8 grams. On keto, a tomato is better than a carrot.

But let’s look at the sugars. A tomato has 3 grams, a carrot has 5. Tomato wins! But both vegetables keep you well within your daily carb limit. I wouldn’t restrict these two unless your metabolism is very slow, in which case you need to lower your carb limit even more.

By comparison, check out a potato. It’s also a vegetable. But it’s a starch. One cup of potato is 37 grams of carbs. It has 4.7 grams of fiber, giving a net carb amount of 32.3 grams. Ten times more than a tomato! The difference is the high starch content of the potato compared to the tomato. Starch is like the stored sugar (glycogen) content in your body.

Carrots are also low in starch compared to potatoes.

Starch is a type of carbohydrate that can affect your blood sugar if you cook it because cooking breaks down the starch. A raw potato probably wouldn’t affect your blood sugar too much, but who wants to eat a raw potato? And the more you cook a tomato or a carrot, the more you release its starch, thus the higher your blood sugar.

So, definitely avoid potatoes: chips, french fries, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, and the like.

When you’re on the ketogenic diet, either raw carrot or raw tomato is acceptable.

Dr. Eric Berg DC Bio:
Dr. Berg, age 56, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting. He is the author of the best-selling book The Healthy Keto Plan and is the Director of Dr. Berg Nutritionals. He no longer practices but focuses on health education through social media.

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Disclaimer: Dr. Eric Berg received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1988. His use of “doctor” or “Dr.” in relation to himself solely refers to that degree. Dr. Berg is a licensed chiropractor in Virginia, California, and Louisiana, but he no longer practices chiropractic in any state and does not see patients so he can focus on educating people as a full-time activity, yet he maintains an active license. This video is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, diagnosis, and prescription or recommendation. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Berg and you. You should not make any change in your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician and obtaining a medical exam, diagnosis, and recommendation. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. The Health & Wellness, Dr. Berg Nutritionals, and Dr. Eric Berg, D.C. are not liable or responsible for any advice, course of treatment, diagnosis, or any other information, services, or product you obtain through this video or site.

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On the ketogenic diet, either raw tomato or raw carrot is fine.