Move over starving diets and strict exercise regimes- the key to weight loss could simply be eating lots of tomatoes, experts believe.

According to researchers, the fruit leaves the eater feeling satisfied, and thus suppresses the urge to snack, which is one of a slimmer's main pitfalls, reports The Daily Express.

It is thought tomatoes are rich in compounds that alter levels of appetite hormones, making them an easy way to keep off hunger pangs.

To reach the conclusion, researchers at Reading University fed 17 women sandwiches made with white bread, bread enriched with carrots or with tomatoes.

The tomato bread proved the most filling, the researchers found.

Project leader Dr Julie Lovegrove said: “We can’t yet say what the crucial ingredient is, but the results were statistically significant.”