What are the Best Substitutes for Tomato in Your Diet?
By
Dr Jorge Metri (PhD)
| Reviewed by
Dr Anny Manrich (PhD)
The contents of this article are fact-based except otherwise stated within the article.
Author bio
Dr Jorge Metri PhD is a Nutritionist with vast experience in food design with natural ingredients. He also researches sensory sciences and food quality with cutting-edge technologies like Machine Learning. He writes and reviews content on these topics.
Dr Jorge Metri’s highlights:
- Invited Reviewer of two international scientific Journals
- PhD in Food Science with emphasis on reduced-fat salad dressings with non-animal derived proteins at Universidad De Las Américas Puebla
- Diploma in Artificial Intelligence at Universidad Anáhuac, México
- Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition at the Universidad Latino
“Science shows its true impact when we make it understandable for everyone” – Dr Jorge Metri PhD.
Professional experience:
Prior to doing his PhD, Jorge Metri worked as an independent nutritionist for almost two years, focusing on sports nutrition to enhance the performance of swimmers and triathletes.
Jorge Metri has worked on several multidisciplinary research projects, including fruit processing, the production of protein-based products, spices, seasonings, jams, and artificial intelligence applied to agriculture production and food quality.
In the food technology area, Jorge Metri has contributed to improving sales and profits of two entrepreneurs of artisanal food products by reformulating their products and standardizing their processes.
Due to the high volume of food production and innovation, the food industry will need new technologies for food characterization in the next years; Jorge Metri is looking for studying such technologies, in 2022, he was selected as a finalist in the IFT FIRST 2022 Food Science event for the Sensory & Consumer Sciences Division Graduate Student Pangborn Oral Competition with the work titled: Machine Learning Models for Mayonnaise Acceptability Prediction.
Education:
- 2018 – 2023: PhD in Food Science at Universidad De Las Américas Puebla of Puebla, México
- 2022: Diploma in Artificial Intelligence at Universidad Anáhuac, México
- 2011 – 2016: Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition at the Universidad Latino of Mérida Yucatán, México.
Main publications of Jorge Metri:
- Metri-Ojeda, J., Solana-Lavalle, G., Rosas-Romero, R., Palou, E., & Baigts-Allende, D. (2023). Rapid screening of mayonnaise quality using computer vision and machine learning. Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization, 1-13.
- Metri-Ojeda, J., Ramírez-Rodrigues, M., Rosas-Ordoñez, L., & Baigts-Allende, D. (2022). Development and Characterization of a Low-Fat Mayonnaise Salad Dressing Based on Arthrospira platensis Protein Concentrate and Sodium Alginate. Applied Sciences, 12(15), 7456.
- Ojeda, J. M., Rodrigues, M. R., & Allende, D. B. (2022). Study of the perception and the acceptability of mayonnaise ingredients among Mexican consumers and its global preference. Revista Española de Nutrición Humana y Dietética, 26.
- Metri-Ojeda, J., Nikiforidis, C., Sandoval-Peraza, M., Chel-Guerrero, L., & Baigts, D. (2019). Processing of Amaranthus hypochondriacus biomass for functional protein concentrates development. Journal of Food Research, 8(5), 70-81.
Conference papers:
- Allende, D. B., Alva, A. P., Haro, M. S., Martínez, A. S., & Ojeda, J. M. (2020). Bio-plastic polymers from renewable sources. INNOTEC, (19 ene-jun), 97-108
- Metri-Ojeda, J. C., Pérez-Alva, A., Recio-Cazares, S. L., & Baigts-Allende, D. K. (2020). Physicochemical and sensorial characterization of vegan mayonnaise using chia seed oil and mucilage (Salvia hipanica L.). Investigación y Desarrollo en Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos, 5, 485-489.
You can view some of Dr Metri’s work below and links to his professional profiles:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jorge-metri-ojeda/
Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jorge-Carlos-Metri-Ojeda-2
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=SBi5hE8AAAAJ&hl=es
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7333-3688
Reviewer bio
Dr Anny Manrich PhD is a food Engineer with expertise in Food Technology, Natural Polymers, Edible Films, Enzymes, and Nanotechnology. She writes and reviews content on these topics.
Dr Anny Manrich’s Highlights:
- Research and Technology at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation
- PhD in Chemical Engineering with a focus on Biochemistry at the Federal University of Sao Carlos/ Brazil and a one-year scholarship at the Technical University of Munich/ Germany
- Bachelor of Food Engineering at the University of Campinas/ Brazil and a one-year scholarship at the Technical University of Munich/ Germany
“To solve a problem, global vision and multifactorial understanding are necessary. Therefore, in addition to expertise, one should seek multidisciplinary thinking connected with science and reality” – Dr Anny Manrich, PhD.
Professional Experience:
Dr Anny Manrich’s Experience Joining the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, as soon as she completed her doctorate,
Dr Anny Manrich has worked on several projects, including the more than three-year partnership project with BRF, a major food producer in Brazil. As a postdoctoral fellow.
Dr Anny Manrich has also contributed to several business consultancies and research projects of the National Nanotechnology Laboratory System in areas such as food technology, fibres, films and coatings and Nanotechnology; in a very determined way, having a great team relationship, being creative and committed.
Growing concerns about the safe introduction of nanomaterials into today’s life emphasises the need to create regulatory documentation in front of characterising, using and testing them. Dr Anny Manrich worked for two years on a characterization project for nanoscale materials, with the aim of exploring their possible health effects.
Despite not having specific academic training in packaging or polymeric films, Dr Anny Manrich works at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation in areas of edible and biodegradable films produced from agricultural waste and in the development of films with greater resistance to water, having articles published in renowned scientific journals, which demonstrates her multidisciplinary understanding and creativity.
In addition, she worked for four years as a consultant to a food company to develop a line of snacks that are healthy and that add functional ingredients, physiologically active compounds that bring health benefits, made from fruits and vegetables, enabling diet improvement, disease prevention and reduction of nutritional deficiencies.
Dr Anny Manrich participated as a member of the examination board for two Master’s exams and one PhD exam at the Department of Chemical Engineering of the Federal University of São Carlos.
Education:
- 2001 Bachelor in Food Engineering at the State University of Campinas, Brazil
- 1999 One year scholarship at the Technical University of Munich
- 2004 Master in Chemical Engineering at the Federal University of São Carlos, Brazil
- 2012 PhD in Chemical Engineering at the Federal University of São Carlos, Brazil
- 2010 One year scholarship at the Technical University of Munich
The main publications of Dr. Anny Manrich are:
Articles
Manrich, A., Moreira, F. K., Otoni, C. G., Lorevice, M. V., Martins, M. A., & Mattoso, L. H. (2017). Hydrophobic edible films made up of tomato cutin and pectin. Carbohydrate Polymers, 164, 83-91.
Mendes, J. F., Norcino, L. B., Martins, H. H. A., Manrich, A., Otoni, C. G., Carvalho, E. E. N., … & Mattoso, L. H. C. (2020). Correlating emulsion characteristics with the properties of active starch films loaded with lemongrass essential oil. Food Hydrocolloids, 100, 105428.
Norcino, L. B., Mendes, J. F., Natarelli, C. V. L., Manrich, A., Oliveira, J. E., & Mattoso, L. H. C. (2020). Pectin films loaded with copaiba oil nanoemulsions for potential use as bio-based active packaging. Food Hydrocolloids, 106, 105862.
Manrich, Anny, et al. Immobilization of trypsin on chitosan gels: Use of different activation protocols and comparison with other supports. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 43.1 (2008): 54-61.
Manrich, Anny; Komesu, Andrea ; Adriano, Wellington Sabino; Tardioli, Paulo Waldir ; Giordano, Raquel Lima Camargo . Immobilization and Stabilization of Xylanase by Multipoint Covalent Attachment on Agarose and on Chitosan Supports. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, v. 161, p. 455-467, 2010.
Mendes, J. F., Martins, J. T., Manrich, A., Neto, A. S., Pinheiro, A. C. M., Mattoso, L. H. C., & Martins, M. A. (2019). Development and physical-chemical properties of pectin film reinforced with spent coffee grounds by continuous casting. Carbohydrate polymers, 210, 92-99..
Milessi, T. S., Kopp, W., Rojas, M. J., Manrich, A., Baptista-Neto, A., Tardioli, P. W., … & Giordano, R. L. (2016). Immobilization and stabilization of an endoxylanase from Bacillus subtilis (XynA) for xylooligosaccharides (XOs) production. Catalysis Today, 259, 130-139.
Mendes, J. F., Norcino, L. B., Manrich, A., Pinheiro, A. C. M., Oliveira, J. E., & Mattoso, L. H. C. (2020). Development, physical‐chemical properties, and photodegradation of pectin film reinforced with malt bagasse fibers by continuous casting. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 137(39), 49178.
Mendes, J. F., Martins, J. T., Manrich, A., Luchesi, B. R., Dantas, A. P. S., Vanderlei, R. M., … & Martins, M. A. (2021). Thermo-physical and mechanical characteristics of composites based on high-density polyethylene (HDPE) e spent coffee grounds (SCG). Journal of Polymers and the Environment, 29, 2888-2900..
Mendes, J. F., Norcino, L. B., Martins, H. H., Manrich, A., Otoni, C. G., Carvalho, E. E. N., … & Mattoso, L. H. C. (2021). Development of quaternary nanocomposites made up of cassava starch, cocoa butter, lemongrass essential oil nanoemulsion, and brewery spent grain fibers. Journal of Food Science, 86(5), 1979-1996.
Manrich, A., Martins, M. A., & Mattoso, L. H. C. (2021). Manufacture and performance of peanut skin cellulose nanocrystals. Scientia Agricola, 79.
Nascimento, V. M., Manrich, A., Tardioli, P. W., de Campos Giordano, R., de Moraes Rocha, G. J., & Giordano, R. D. L. C. (2016). Alkaline pretreatment for practicable production of ethanol and xylooligosaccharides. Bioethanol, 2(1)..
Manrich, Anny, de Oliveira, J. E., Martins, M. A., & Mattoso, L. H. C. Physicochemical and Thermal Characterization of the Spirulina platensis. J. Agric. Sci. Technol. B, v. 10, p. 298-307, 2020.
Book Chapter
Terra, I. A. A., Aoki, P. H., Delezuk, J. A. D. M., Martins, M. A., Manrich, A., Silva, M. J., … & Miranda, P. B. (2022). Técnicas de Caracterização de Polímeros. Nanotecnologia Aplicada a Polímeros, 614.
Conference Papers
Ferreira, L. F., Luvizaro, L. B., Manrich, A., Martins, M. A., Júnior, M. G., & Dias, M. V. (2017). Comparação da estabilidade de suspensões poliméricas de amido/tocoferol e quitosana/tocoferol. In: CONGRESSO BRASILEIRO DE POLÍMEROS, 14., 2017, Águas de Lindóia, SP.
Manrich, A., Hubinger, S. Z., & Paris, E. C. (2017). Citotoxicidade causada por nanomateriais: avaliação do micronúcleo. In: WORKSHOP DA REDE DE NANOTECNOLOGIA APLICADA AO AGRONEGÓCIO, 9., 2017, São Carlos. Anais… São Carlos: Embrapa Instrumentação, 2017. p. 655-658.
Manrich, Anny, et al. Immobilization and Stabilization of Xylanase by multipoint covalent attachment on Glyoxyl Agarose Support. The 31st Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals. 2009.
Manrich, Anny, et al. Application of immobilized xylanase on hydrolysis of soluble wood hemicelluloses after using microwave and organosolv pre-treatments. The 32nd Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals. 2010.
You can view some of Dr Anny’s work below and links to her professional profile.
Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anny-Manrich-2
Scopus: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=23103497100
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=Ea9qpr0AAAAJ
Linkedin: https://br.linkedin.com/in/anny-manrich-20693129
In this brief article, we will address the query “What are the Best Substitutes for Tomato in Your Diet?” Additionally, you will explore the nutritional profile of tomato and its substitutes, as well as the potential health benefits associated with their nutrients.
What are the Best Substitutes for Tomato in Your Diet?
There is no food that exactly matches the flavor and texture of tomatoes, but there are some options that can slightly mimic these tomatoes’ properties. Bell pepper, squash, carrots, and mushrooms (1,2,3).
These foods are good substitutes for different reasons. For example, if you select red bell peppers you can mimic the red color in your foods. This vegetable is slightly acidic and sweet, and it turns soft after cooking, so it is ideal for raw salads and for sauces (1,3).
Squash and carrots turn soft after cooking, making them good choices to prepare sauces or soups. Even though these vegetables lack an acidic taste, you can add some vinegar to enhance the acidic flavor (1,3).
Mushrooms are very different from tomatoes, especially in their appearance, however, tomatoes’ flavor is also formed by umami. Umami is one of the basic tastes, and its definition is “tasty”. Mushrooms are rich in umami, which can improve the flavor of the before mentioned tomatoes’ substitutes (2).
Furthermore, you can mix them together to increase the taste, aroma, and flavor! There is scientific evidence ensuring that combining vegetables can create new sensory properties like texture, color, aroma, taste, and thus, they could be more acceptable (3).
Why Considering Tomato Substitutes?
There are some possible reasons why you need to substitute tomato in your diet, for example (4,5):
- Hypersensitivity (similar to an allergic reaction) due to the high content of histamine. Hypersensitivity reactions can cause eczema, skin rash, and gastrointestinal symptoms.
- You are on a low-potassium diet, commonly indicated for people with kidney disease.
- Maybe you just don’t like tomatoes, or you don’t have tomatoes at home.
What are the Nutritional Profiles of Tomato and its Potential Substitutes?
The nutritional profile of tomato and its potential substitutes are summarized in the following table (data is expressed in grams per 100 g of cooked vegetable) (6-10):
| Tomato (cooked) | Bell pepper (raw)* | Squash (cooked) | Carrot (cooked) | Mushrooms (cooked) | |
| Proteins | 0.95 g | 0.9 g | 1.21 g | 0.76 g | 1.56 g |
| Fats | 0.11 g | 0.13 g | 0.32 g | 0.18 g | 0.22 g |
| Carbohydrates | 4.01 g | 6.65 g | 3.11g | 8.22 g | 14.4 g |
| Fiber | 0.7 g | 1.2 g | 1 g | 3 g | 2.1 g |
* USDA FoodData Central does not have cooked red bell pepper data. Adapted from USDA FoodData Central (6-10)
As you can see, protein and fats are very similar between them. Mushrooms and carrots are the substitutes with higher amounts of carbs, but they are also rich in fiber.
Fiber is a non-digestible carbohydrate essential for your gastrointestinal health. When the fiber reaches your gut, it is fermented by your microbiota, producing short chain fatty acids (helpful to prevent colon cancer) (11).
Furthermore, fiber helps to induce your intestine’s mobility, which is beneficial for you because it prevents constipation (11).
What are the Potential Health Benefits of Tomato’s Substitutes?
Beyond the macronutrient composition and fiber content, tomatoes’ substitutes like bell pepper, squash, carrots, and mushrooms are rich in antioxidants. In the following list, you will find the most common and their potential health benefits (12,13,14):
- Carotenoids: carotenoids are precursors of vitamin A, they have a potent antioxidant capacity which can protect you from diseases like cancer. Vitamin A and carotenoids are also associated with good eye and skin health (especially protecting against UV light).
- Polyphenols: polyphenols are very powerful antioxidants, they have the potential to prevent diseases like obesity, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. The health benefits of polyphenols are attributed to their capacity to reduce inflammation and counter oxygen reactive species in your body.
- B-vitamins: this vast group of vitamins has a special role in your metabolism. B-vitamins can facilitate many metabolic processes such as macronutrient utilization and cognitive development. They are essential for correct growth and development.
How to Prepare Alternatives for Tomato-Based Foods?
We are going to focus on sauces, because it is the most common way to prepare tomato-based foods, like pasta.
There are a lot of sauces without tomatoes that you can try for pasta or meat. In this link, you will see a lot of sauces, some of them actually have tomatoes, but you can skip them or replace the tomato from the recipe with the suggestions of this article.
Conclusion
In this brief article, we addressed the query “What are the Best Substitutes for Tomato in Your Diet?” Additionally, you explored the nutritional profile of tomato and its substitutes, as well as the potential health benefits associated with their nutrients.
References
- Tommonaro G, Morelli CF, Rabuffetti M, Nicolaus B, De Prisco R, Iodice C, et al. Determination of flavor-potentiating compounds in different Italian tomato varieties. J Food Biochem, 2021;45(5):e13736.
- Sun L-B, Zhang Z-Y, Xin G, Sun B-X, Bao X-J, Wei Y-Y, et al. Advances in umami taste and aroma of edible mushrooms. Trends Food Sci Technol, 2020;96:176–87.
- van Stokkom VL, de Graaf C, Wang S, van Kooten O, Stieger M. Combinations of vegetables can be more accepted than individual vegetables. Food Qual Prefer, 2019;72:147–58.
- Tsiasioti A, Tzanavaras PD. Simple and reliable determination of the histamine content of selected Greek vegetables and related products in the frame of “low histamine diet”. Foods, 2022;11(20):3234.
- Ali MY, Sina AAI, Khandker SS, Neesa L, Tanvir EM, Kabir A, et al. Nutritional composition and bioactive compounds in tomatoes and their impact on human health and disease: A review. Foods, 2020;10(1):45.
- FoodData central [Internet]. Usda.gov. [cited 8 June 2023]. Available from: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170050/nutrients
- FoodData central [Internet]. Usda.gov. [cited 8 June 2023]. Available from: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169291/nutrients
- FoodData central [Internet]. Usda.gov. [cited 8 June 2023]. Available from: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170394/nutrients
- FoodData central [Internet]. Usda.gov. [cited 8 June 2023]. Available from: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168437/nutrients
- FoodData central [Internet]. Usda.gov. [cited 8 June 2023]. Available from: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/2258590/nutrients
- Snauwaert E, Paglialonga F, Vande Walle J, Wan M, Desloovere A, Polderman N, et al. The benefits of dietary fiber: the gastrointestinal tract and beyond. Pediatr Nephrol, 2022.
- Eggersdorfer M, Wyss A. Carotenoids in human nutrition and health. Arch Biochem Biophys,. 2018;652:18–26.
- Godswill AG, Somtochukwu IV, Ikechukwu AO, Kate EC. Health benefits of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and their associated deficiency diseases: A systematic review. International Journal of Food Sciences, 2020;3(1):1–32.
- Rasouli H, Farzaei MH, Khodarahmi R. Polyphenols and their benefits: A review. Int J Food Prop, 2017;1–42.
