When you think of tomatoes, that classic pop of red in the midst of fresh farmers market veggies probably comes to mind. Blame it on the lycopene, a disease-fighting phytonutrient that gives red tomatoes their signature vibrant hue. But what about their slightly sweeter, less-hyped counterpart? Yellow tomatoes don’t get nearly as much love, but that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve a place in your grocery cart. Both are loaded with nutrients, so what exactly makes them different? Read on to find out.
Red Tomatoes vs. Yellow Tomatoes
Calories
Red: 38 caloriesYellow: 32 calories
Protein
Red: 2 gramsYellow: 2 grams
Fiber
Red: 10% of your daily valueYellow: 6% of your daily value
Red tomatoes pack an extra gram of gut-filling fiber.
Calcium
Red: 2% of your daily valueYellow: 2% of your daily value
Iron
Red: 3% of your daily valueYellow: 6% of your daily value
Phosphorus
Red: 5% of your daily valueYellow: 8% of your daily value
Potassium
Red: 14% of your daily valueYellow: 16% of your daily value
Sodium
Red: 11 milligramsYellow: 49 milligrams
Neither is a high-sodium fruit, but yellow tomatoes pack about four times as much as red.
Zinc
Red: 2.4% of your daily valueYellow: 4% of your daily value
And almost twice as much zinc, which helps your immune system.
Vitamin C
Red: 48% of your daily valueYellow: 32% of your daily value
Red wipes the floor with yellow when it comes to vitamin C, but both give you hefty dose.
Niacin
Red: 7% of your daily valueYellow: 13% of your daily value
B vitamin time! Niacin helps lower cholesterol, and it’s higher in yellow tomatoes.
Folate
Red: 8% of your daily valueYellow: 16% of your daily value
They also have more folate, which helps your body produce red blood cells.
Vitamin A
Red: 35% of your daily valueYellow: 0% of your daily value
Protect your eyes with vitamin-A rich reds.
Lycopene
Red: 5.4 milligrams Yellow: 0 milligrams
And munch on them for lycopene, a powerful carotenoid that might help fight cancer.
So which is healthier: red or yellow tomatoes?
The winner: Yellow tomatoes
The bottom line
Surprise! By these numbers, yellow tomatoes trump red tomatoes. Still, that all depends on what you want out of your pasta sauce. Is it hard-to-get lycopene and a blast of vitamins? Head for red. Do you need a boost of iron and minerals? Go for yellow. They both add a punch of flavor to your meals, so you can’t go wrong either way.
