What do you eat for your daily meals? I think it varies from person to person, as different people have different diets, such as meat, fish, vegetables, bread, and rice. This time, I would like to focus on tomatoes among all the foods in this world. Do you know that tomatoes have many charms? In this article, I would like to share with you the charms of tomatoes.
About Tomatoes
The tomato is a fruit that is classified in the eggplant family of vegetables.
Although it is classified as a fruit in botany, it is treated as a vegetable in everyday eating.
Tomatoes are a very attractive vegetable. Lycopene, the main component of tomatoes, can reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. It, therefore, has a significant impact on people’s health.
In addition, tomatoes are also high in other attractive components: vitamin C, potassium, folic acid, and vitamin K.
The tomatoes you usually see in supermarkets and grocery stores are red. However, tomatoes can turn into other colors, such as yellow, orange, green, and purple, in addition to mature red. Moreover, there are tomatoes with different shapes and tastes. Interesting!
Tomatoes are a vegetable that is mostly water—95% water. The remaining 5% is made up of carbohydrates and fiber.
Let’s see what nutrients are contained in about 100 grams of raw tomatoes.
Calories 18
Water 95%
Protein 0.9 g
Carbohydrates 3.9 g
Carbohydrates 2.6 g
Dietary fiber 1.2 g
Fat 0.2 g
They also say that tomatoes are fresher with fewer carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are composed of two things. They are monosaccharides and insoluble fiber. Most fruits and vegetables are composed of water.
In addition, tomatoes contain other vitamins and minerals that make them a good vegetable to consume.
As mentioned earlier, tomatoes contain many attractive nutrients, including vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, and potassium.
First of all, vitamin C is one of the most important nutrients we, humans, should consume. Just by eating one tomato about the size of a normal-sized tomato, you can get 28% of the amount of vitamin C you should be getting each day.
Potassium, an essential mineral, can help control blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease.
Vitamin K prevents blood clotting and contributes to bone strength and other health benefits.
Folic acid is an important nutrient for pregnant women and further contributes to tissue growth and cellular function (Bjarnadottir, 2019).
What are the health benefits of tomatoes?
Tomatoes have five health benefits.
Rich in vitamins
Vitamins have a variety of fascinating benefits. They are beneficial for skin, eyesight, immunity, and heart and muscle function.
Heart health
The red color of tomatoes contains an important nutrient called lycopene. Lycopene plays an important role in maintaining and protecting heart health. Although there are now convenient and easy-to-take supplements, studies have shown that lycopene is better supplemented by consuming tomatoes or tomato products.
Vision health and restoration
Lycopene is good for not only the heart but also the eyes. It also contributes to the prevention of eye-related diseases such as cataracts.
Improved digestive health
If you are constipated, you may want to eat tomatoes right now. This is because tomatoes contain a lot of water and fiber, which help relieve the problem. However, the acidity of tomatoes may exacerbate the effects of constipation, so you should eat tomatoes while balancing your own health condition (Sass, 2018).
Conclusion
Tomatoes offer a lot of health benefits for people. That’s just in addition to being delicious. Therefore, we should include as many tomatoes as possible in our daily diet to help improve our health.
<Reference>
・Bjarnadottir, A. (2019). Tomatoes 101: Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits. [online] Healthline. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/tomatoes [Accessed 28 August 2022].
・Sass, C. (2018). 7 Health Benefits of Tomatoes. [online] Health.com. Available at: https://www.health.com/nutrition/health-benefits-tomatoes [Accessed 28 August 2022].
