Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) is native to Mexico. It helps shape your figure, is laden with nutrients and minerals, and is perfect to tank up on vitamins! Tomatoes are the epitome of summer vegetables, but can now be savored all year round. Its many health benefits help cure various ailments that make us suffer.
Health benefits of tomato
- Tomatoes are 90% water and contain very little sugar: they’re among the vegetables that have the lowest calorie intake of all, only a smidgen over 15 kcal per 3.5 oz (100 g).
- Nutrient-rich and full of minerals, tomatoes are a great source of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, potassium, calcium, magnesium and a host of trace elements.
- When cooked or baked, tomatoes lose a significant portion of their vitamin C and E content.
- Tomatoes deliver a high amount of vitamin C, a vitamin that is crucial to reinforcing our body’s immune system.
- A special molecule called lycopene is the reason behind many of the health benefits that tomatoes offer – and it’s also the reason why tomatoes are red! Indeed, this substance seems to inhibit cancerous cell proliferation, particularly in cases of prostate, colon and breast cancers.
- This cancer-fighting activity is more effective when tomatoes are consumed cooked.
- Tomatoes also reduce cerebral vascular incidents and generally prevent cardiovascular diseases. Eating tomatoes often seems to reduce bad cholesterol levels.
- In hypocaloric (low-calorie) diets, there’s no limit to how many tomatoes are allowed, because of their reduced calorie intake.
- Since they are laxative and diuretic, tomatoes are great to alleviate constipation and urinary tract infections.
- If your digestive functions are sensitive, avoid eating tomato peels: they tend to irritate bowels. But drinking tomato juice and pulp is absolutely not a problem.
- Tomatoes are famous in the world of cosmetics too. They are reputed to lighten up dull skin, cleanse oily and acne-prone skin, and soften hands.
Growing tomato for its health benefits
- Tomatoes need sun to develop and ripen well. They like rich, light and well drained soil.
- Mix garden soil and re-potting soil mix and feel free to use liquid fertilizer to fertilize on a regular basis.
- Note that tomatoes are vulnerable to both rain and very strong heat, and they hate it when the air is too moist. That is when they get covered in bugs and mushrooms that make your fruits rot…
- Another interesting benefit of tomato plants: the surprisingly powerful smell of their leaves repels wasps and mosquitoes.
Cooking and baking tomato to reap its health benefits
Tomatoes are eaten in every country in the world, generally as a vegetable, and they are prepared cooked and raw, in salads, sauces, gravies and juices (for the riper fruits).
They can be red or yellow, and other surprising colors like the ‘Russian Black Krim’, there are dozens of varieties of tomatoes to chose from such as ‘Beefsteak’ or ‘Gardener’s Delight’. But if you’re buying them from the market, choose those which have been grown in season!
Images: Pixabay: Axel Mellin, ha11ok
Growing tomatoes in pots is an excellent idea and your yield will be excellent if you use garden boxes that are at least 8 inches (20 cm) deep. Stake your plant stems and keep the ground moist.
