Facts About Tomatoes
Is tomato a fruit or a vegetable? The tomato is a tasty, commonly red, edible fruit, along with the plant that bears it. Native to South America, the fruit was spread all over the world after the colonization of the Americas by the Spanish, and its scores of varieties have become widely cultivated, usually in greenhouses in colder environments.
The tomato is eaten in many different ways, including uncooked, as an essential ingredient in various dishes as well as sauces, and in juices. Even though it is a fruit, it has been deemed a vegetable for cooking purposes, which has triggered some confusion. The tomato is abundant with lycopene, which have valuable health benefits.
The tomato is one of the members in nightshade family. It usually grows to around 1-3 meters (3-10 feet) tall and contains a weak stem that usually sprawls on the soil and vines over some other plants. The tomato is a perennial within its indigenous habitat, even though frequently grown in temperate environments as an annual.
Health Benefits of Tomatoes
- Tomatoes have a substantial level of lycopene, a compound utilized in certain more expensive facial cleansers available for sale over-the-counter. In case you wish to try out tomatoes for natural skin care, you have to begin with around 8 to 12 tomato fruits. Peel the tomatoes followed by putting the skin onto your face with interior of the fruit coming in contact with your skin.
- Many studies that have been done show that the substantial amounts of lycopene in tomatoes functions to lower your risks of getting prostate, stomach and colorectal cancer.
- Tomatoes have a significant amount of vitamin K and calcium. These nutrients are very important in strengthening and doing minor fixes on the bones and the bone tissue.
- Apart from the tomato health benefits mentioned above, the fruit has a lot of Vitamin A and C. Both these vitamins act as antioxidants to neutralize hazardous free radicals in your body.
- The presence of potassium and vitamin B in tomatoes are helpful in lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. Consequently, adding tomatoes to your common diet help prevent strokes, heart attacks and some other heart related conditions that could threaten your health.
- The vitamin A found in tomatoes works wonderfully to maintain strong and shiny hair. Moreover, it does miracles to your eyes, skin, teeth and bones.
- Putting tomatoes minus the seeds to your meals has been confirmed in some scientific studies to lower the chance of kidney stones.
- The presence of vitamin A in tomatoes is wonderful for enhancing your eyesight. Additionally, tomatoes are among the greatest foods to enjoy in preventing night blindness.
- Tomato health benefits do not stop here. The fruit is rich in mineral called chromium. It functions effectively to aid diabetics keep their glucose levels under control.
- Health benefits of tomato juice are abundant. Fresh tomato juice boosts the appetite and help digestion. Having tomato juice blended with spinach juice help activate liver and also help ease and avoid constipation.
Tomato Calories:
Tomatoes are low in calories.
- 1 cherry tomato: 5 calories
- 1 small tomato: 25 calories
- 1 medium tomato: 35 calories
- 1 large tomato: 50 calories
- 1 large beef tomato: 60 calories
How to Choose and Buy Tomatoes?
- Do not bother about tomatoes with unusual shapes. Even those with cracked skin are alright, but leaking of juice and having soft spots are definitely not.
- Pick tomatoes that are heavy for their size.
- Tomatoes should always smell earthy and never musty.
How to Store Tomatoes?
- Handle tomatoes carefully. Heirloom tomato varieties, specifically, are usually very fragile. Therefore do not pack the tomatoes in a bag in which their weight may squash one another.
- Do not ever refrigerate tomatoes. Conditions below 50°F turn tomatoes mealy and mushy.
Visitors who read this article also read:
|
Broccoli Health Benefits
|
Celery Health Benefits
|
|