Tomatoes: the benefits and harm of a popular product

Tomato, or translated from Italian - the golden apple, is one of the most common foods that everyone knows about, which everyone buys, and, moreover, is grown in almost all gardens. In addition to excellent taste, this plant has a huge vitamin reserve and healing properties, which makes it the "favorite" of the whole society. Paradoxically, for a long period of time, the fruits of tomato were considered poisonous and unsuitable for consumption. They were grown in Europe as a specific ornamental plant.

Description of the fetus

Tomato - a representative of the family of bouillon. It belongs to the perennial plants, but in the garden culture it is still used as an annual. The stalk of a tomato that lodges often requires garters, but there are varieties that are cultivated without the tying procedure (standard). The root of the core form, strongly branched and located in the soil at a depth of about 50 cm. Tomato is a juicy berry, with a different number of seed chambers: from low-chamber (2-5) to medium-sized (6-9) and multi-chamber (10 or more). The advantage of multi-chamber fruits is their fleshyness and volume, the disadvantage is the small seed offspring.

The growth period of a tomato after setting is about a month, the time of ripening is from 10 to 15 days, during which the fruit takes on a color ranging from green to bright red. Depending on the variety, ripe tomatoes can be of various shades: orange, red, pink, crimson or even yellow. A large variety of fruit forms makes it possible to grow from ordinary round to plum-shaped and pepper-shaped tomatoes. It is best for use to choose fruits with a smooth surface. Tomato weight can be from 20 g to 1 kg. All this is purely individual and depends on various varietal characteristics.

Chemical composition

Tomatoes contain a large amount of vitamins, useful macro-and micronutrients. Per 100 g of tomato accounts for:

• vitamin A (beta-carotene) - 1 mg;
• Vitamin B1 (thiamine) - 0.06 mg;
• vitamin B2 (riboflavin) - 0.04 mg;
• Niacin, 0.5 mg;
• folic acid - 11 µg;
• vitamin C - 25 mg;
• Vitamin E - 0.4 mg.

The content of macronutrients:

• potassium - 300 mg;
• calcium - 14 mg;
• magnesium - 20 mg;
• sodium, 40 mg;
• phosphorus - 24 mg.

• 0.9 mg of iron;
• 2 mcg of iodine;
• 6 mcg cobalt;
• 140 mcg of manganese;
• 0.1 mg of copper;
• 0.2 mg zinc.

Calorie and nutritional value

Tomato has very low caloriefor which it is valued. On average, per 100 g of fruit accounts for 23 kcal (or 96.2 kJ).

100 g of tomatoes contain a lot of water (about 92 g), proteins - 1.1 g, fats - 0.2 g, carbohydrates - 5 g. Also contains fiber (0.8 g), pectins (0.3 g ), organic acids (0.5 g) and ash (0.5 g).

The benefits of tomatoes

The benefits of tomatoes are invaluable: in addition to excellent taste and low calorie content, this vegetable has become a real fount of useful substances for both women and men.

For men

Let's look at the benefits of using tomatoes for men.

First, the juice from this miracle fetus is very useful for normalizing the body and all internal organs, helps prevent and eliminate constipation, fights against gastric ulcers, stops the development of cataracts.

Tomatoes, raw or processed, have a positive effect in the treatment and prevention of atherosclerosis in men. In case of emergency it is possible to use a tomato in the treatment of wounds and cuts, unless there is a special ointment at hand. It perfectly disinfects wounds and contributes to their rapid healing. The main value in the fruits of this plant is the presence of a special pigment - lycopene, which slows down oxidation, thereby providing an anti-cancer effect on the body of men. Moreover, during the heat treatment of tomatoes, the amount of lycopene increases, which further reduces the risk of cancer of the prostate, stomach and lungs.

For women

Knowing how small the calorie content of tomatoes, you can immediately conclude about the benefits of tomatoes for women. They are able to speed up the metabolism, remove excess fluid from the body, eliminate puffiness and even reduce cholesterol in the blood.

Juice from the fruit helps to lose weight, improve the appearance and condition of the skin. It also helps maintain bone health, especially for postmenopausal women. Like men, tomatoes help the female body in the fight against cancer cells.

Medicinal properties

You can talk a lot about the beneficial properties of this plant, because it really performs a lot irreplaceable vital functions.

1. Tomatoes are often used in the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
2. They have an excellent diuretic effect, they trigger all metabolic processes in the body, so their use is often recommended when prescribing diets for people who are overweight.
3. They improve the functioning of the nervous system, acting as a kind of antidepressant.
4. Juice and dishes from tomatoes help to improve the immunity, mood and well-being of a person.
5. Many do not know about it, but these berries perfectly quench thirst.
6. Useful substances contained in the fruit, improve vision, prevent various eye diseases.
7. Especially for women, tomatoes are useful for their rejuvenating properties, they smooth wrinkles, give the face a natural healthy tone.
8. Regular consumption of tomatoes improves memory and faster assimilation of various information.

Dietology and tomatoes

As mentioned above, tomatoes have a low calorie content, which makes them one of the top products that are prescribed for diets. In addition to their lightness, they are still able to run all the necessary processes to eliminate excess weight and normalize the work of the stomach and intestines.

So there are different ways of eating tomatoes in dietetics:

1. Fruits are often used during fasting days. This will not only give your body lightness, but also clear out unnecessary substances and eliminate a few kilograms in just one day.
2. Another effective method would be a combination of tomatoes and cucumbers, and on the basis of this, a fasting day.Cucumbers are also low-calorie and beneficial, so this combination of products will only enhance their beneficial effects on your body. On such days, do not forget that you need to drink plenty of clean water to speed up the metabolic processes.
3. It is also useful to combine fresh tomatoes with cereals, in particular with buckwheat. This combination will provide you with the necessary amount of carbohydrates and iron, but it will also allow you to lose weight. Such dishes can be the basis for a diet designed for a couple of weeks.

Use in cooking

No kitchen in the world can do without this wonderful product. In total there are about 1000 of the most varied recipes using tomatoes.

In Mexico, Brazil, Italy, Spain it is one of the most revered and respected products, on the basis of which culinary masterpieces were created, which are now known all over the world. In these countries, the most popular recipes for sauces based on tomatoes, pastes, soups (such as gazpacho), appetizers, salads, ketchups, etc. were created.

It is no longer possible to imagine your daily diet without this fruit. No pizzeria is complete without the well-known “Margarita”, and the cold gazpacho soup has long conquered the hearts of all gourmets. People have learned to marinate, preserve, bake tomatoes. In general, use this berry at 100% and extract the maximum useful properties from it.

Harm and contraindications

Like every product, a tomato can be both beneficial and harmful to human health. Wrong reception can rather negatively affect your health.

One more contraindication is the use of this fetus in ulcers or cardiovascular diseases, as this may cause their sharp exacerbation.

Remember also that you should not eat tomatoes at the same time with meat products, fish or eggs. Do not combine them with bakery products. But it is recommended to drink tomato juice only 30 minutes after eating.

Ever since childhood, we have been taught that eating tomatoes is necessary and correct. And all this is no coincidence, since indeed this miracle fruit has very valuable beneficial properties and excellent taste. At the same time, be sure to remember that there are also contraindications regarding the use of tomatoes. And if you ignore them, you can experience quite unpleasant symptoms and sensations.