There are many health benefits of tomatoes that you do not know about. In this well-detailed article, we will provide you with information on the powerful health benefits of tomatoes.
Table of Contents
About Tomatoes
Tomato is an edible fruit from the plant Solanum Lycopersicum, it is a common fruit that grows on a vine. Tomatoes are generally prepared as vegetables even though they are fruits.
Tomatoes are generally used to prepare different dishes around the world. Tomatoes can boost your health when consumed regularly.
Tomatoes are very easy to cultivate and they grow really very fast which qualifies them as a good food source, the fact that tomatoes are available all year round makes them a staple food all over the globe.
Tomatoes are grown in many colours such as red, orange, yellow, brown, white, pink, purple, and black. But red is the most common variety that is known and cultivated worldwide.
Nutritional value of tomatoes
Red, raw, ripe tomatoes
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 74 kJ (18 kcal)
Carbohydrates 3.9 g
Sugars 2.6 g
Dietary fibre 1.2 g
Fat 0.2 g
Protein 0.9 g
Vitamins Quantity %DV†
Vitamin A equiv. 42 μg 5%
beta-Carotene 449 μg 4%
lutein zeaxanthin 123 μg
Thiamine (B1) 0.037 mg 3%
Riboflavin (B2) 0.019 mg 2%
Niacin (B3) 0.594 mg 4%
Pantothenic acid (B5) 0.089 mg 2%
Vitamin B6 0.08 mg 6%
Folate (B9) 15 μg 4%
Vitamin C 14 mg 17%
Vitamin E 0.54 mg 4%
Vitamin K 7.9 μg 8%
Minerals Quantity %DV†
Calcium 10 mg 1%
Iron 0.27 mg 2%
Ash 0.5g
Magnesium 11 mg 3%
Manganese 0.114 mg 5%
Phosphorus 24 mg 3%
Potassium 237 mg 5%
Sodium 5 mg 0%
Zinc 0.17 mg 2%
Copper 0.059mg
Other constituents Quantity
Water 94.5 g
Lycopene 2573 μg
Source: US Department of Agriculture
Health Benefits of Tomatoes
Tomatoes are one of those special fruits with so many health benefits, and their numerous benefits may be attributed to the numerous nutrients present in them. Tomatoes are very nutritious and easy to add to your meals.
The health benefits of tomatoes are uncountable, let’s have a walk on some of the powerful health benefits of tomatoes.
1. Tomatoes aids digestion
One of the properties of tomatoes is fibre, and fibre is known to improve bowel movement and reduce symptoms of constipation. fibre may help stimulate peristaltic motion in the digestive muscle, and this process may release gastric and digestive juices. This regulates your bowel movement and also helps improve your overall digestive health.
Tomatoes contain chloride which is an important component of the digestive juice, Tomatoes are generally good for you as they may help keep the digestive system healthy and prevent gastrointestinal issues.
Tomatoes shares this health benefit with fluted pumpkins
2. Tomatoes Improve vision
Tomatoes contain vitamin A which is generally known to improve eyesight and prevent macular degeneration and night blindness.
The retina which is the part of the eye that receives and converts light into chemical energy relies on vitamin A. Tomatoes also contain substances such as lutein and zeaxanthin which may help protect the eyes from blue light from digital devices.
Tomatoes also contain Vitamin C which may help combat age-related cataracts and copper which is of benefit to the eye as it helps to produce the black pigment in the eyes known.
Tomatoes are of immense benefit to the eyes and should therefore be consumed daily.
3. Tomatoes help lower the risk of prostate cancer in men
Tomatoes may help prevent prostate cancer in men, all thanks to lycopene present in tomatoes. lycopene is a naturally occurring phytochemical that gives tomatoes their red colour.
New research at the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) found that men who consume a higher amount of tomatoes had a 10% lower risk of prostate cancer than those who consumed the least.
In tomatoes, lycopene is highly concentrated in processed form, therefore to enhance the cancer-fighting potentials of tomatoes you have t consume it in a processed form, this is to enable easy absorption of lycopene by the body.
4. Tomatoes help to fight breast cancer
Tomatoes both in the processed and cooked form are a great choice as they have a very high effect on combating breast cancer.
Tomatoes are high in antioxidants that are known to fight free radicals which are leading causes of various types of ill health.
Cancer cells are triggered by some chemical reaction to attach themselves to the body’s blood supply, but lycopene present in tomatoes was found to disrupt this process and prevent breast cancer cells from further growth.
5. Tomatoes improve skin health
Tomatoes are important for skin health as lycopene and other plant-based properties found in tomatoes may help protect against sunburn, cure large pores, help treat acne, revive dull skin, and fight skin inflammation as well as cellular damage.
Tomatoes when used on the face it helps to remove excess oil from the face and as such keep your face fresh for a longer period of time and improve the facial texture.
You can achieve one of these health benefits of tomatoes by simply rubbing a freshly cut tomato on your face, or by applying tomato juice to your face and leaving it on for about 10 mins before washing it off.
according to a study it was found that antioxidants present in tomatoes may help improve skin health. Vitamins present in tomatoes such as vitamin c also play a vital role in the improvement and Maintainance of healthy skin.
6. Tomatoes reduce cholesterol
One of the health benefits of tomatoes is their ability to drastically reduce the level of bad cholesterol levels in the body, this is possible because of the lycopene present in tomatoes.
One should consume daily at least 25mg of lycopene, which is about half a cup of tomato sauce. please note that 100g of tomato puree will give about 21.5 mg of lycopene.
In one of the studies on tomatoes, it was found that the consumption of fresh tomatoes or tomato juice can lower the level of bad cholesterol while at the same time increasing the levels of good cholesterol in the body. Isn’t that magical? of course yes!
A study by Harvard Medical School on how to lower cholesterol without drugs includes tomatoes to be one of the must-consumed food for lowering cholesterol.
7. Tomatoes help promote a healthy heart
Tomatoes are rich in beta-carotene, flavonoids and folate which are beneficial for cardiovascular health. Tomatoes also contain Vitamin b and potassium which help in lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels all of which are necessary for healthy heart functioning.
To completely enjoy the health benefits of tomatoes, it is important to effectively incorporate tomatoes into your balanced diet daily as they may help prevent strokes, heart attacks and other heart-related diseases.
8. Tomatoes help to regulate blood pressure
One of the health benefits of tomatoes is their ability to help reduce high blood pressure. Let’s take a peep.
Lycopene one of the contents of tomatoes has also been proved to reduce blood pressure, this is according to a study published in the National Library of Medicine. Lycopene helps reduce blood pressure as it improves the overall functioning of the blood vessels.
Although Lycopene can be of help in reducing high blood pressure studies have shown that it has no effect on normal blood pressure.
Tomatoes are also a rich source of potassium, and potassium is a mineral known to lessen the effect of sodium in the body thereby lowering blood pressure levels.
Potassium also reduces blood pressure by reducing tension in the blood vessel. It is a fact that the more potassium you ingest the more sodium you excrete through urine.
In line with the recommendations of the American Heart Association, the average recommended daily intake of potassium is 4,700mg.
Tomatoes are also a rich source of vitamin C. Vitamin C has been found to play a vital role in regulating blood pressure.
9. Tomatoes are good for pregnant women
Pregnant women and their unborn babies need a lot of nutrients to stay healthy and tomatoes in rich in some of these required nutrients.
Tomatoes it a rich source of vitamin c which helps to facilitate the absorption of iron in pregnant women. This makes the consumption of tomatoes necessary for a pregnant woman as Iron helps in the formation of red blood cells. As we all know, an adequate blood level is important for a healthy pregnancy.
Eating tomatoes may also aid the formation of gums, bones and teeth.
Consumption of tomatoes also helps to prevent cell damage in pregnant women, this is because tomatoes contain a lot of antioxidants such as lycopene which is known to offer protection against cell damage in the body.
10. Tomatoes help reduce the effect of cigarette smoke
Tomatoes are a rich source of vitamin C which helps to neutralize the effect of cigarette smoke on the body system. Inhaling of cigarette smoke is one of the leading causes of excessive production of free radicals that is harmful to the body.
The daily dose of Vitamin C is 90mg for men and 75mg for women but smokers need about 35mg more of vitamin C. It is worthy to note that 100g of raw red tomatoes contains about 13.7mg of vitamin C
Tomatoes also contain lycopene, which is an antioxidant that also helps to fight off the free radicals caused by cigarette smoke.
11. Tomatoes assist in the Management of diabetics
One of the important health benefits of tomatoes is their ability to help in managing symptoms of diabetics. This important role is possible because tomatoes contain Vitamin C, E and iron which may help in the management of diabetics.
Tomatoes when consumed may have little or no effect on the blood sugar level as tomatoes are said to have a low glycemic index.
A similar health benefit can be found in our well-detailed article on the health benefits of bitter leaf.
12. Eating tomatoes aids prevention of gallstones
Gallstones are the hardened deposit of digestive fluids that form in your bladder.
Constant consumption of tomatoes has been proved to reduce the risk of gallstone formation in the bladder as well as the kidney. This is according to a report by the Michigan state university extension. they also recommended a few ways you can incorporate tomatoes into your meals.
13. Tomatoes help to maintain and promote healthy liver
Tomatoes contain a lot of antioxidants which help to fight DNA damaging free radicals thereby maintaining and promoting an excellent and healthy liver.
Consumption of tomatoes may help detoxify and protect the liver, it also helps the liver to regenerate and repair its damaged tissues.
Consumption of tomatoes has been proven to lower the risk of liver cancer. this is evident in one of the studies about the health benefits of tomatoes. extract from tomatoes was found to offer a protective function against inflammation that is caused by a high-fat diet.
Liver diseases associated with alcohol intake may be drastically reduced by the constant consumption of tomatoes.
14. Tomatoes help to fight and reduce inflammation and its associated illness
Tomatoes contain antioxidants such as phytofluene, flavonoids, zeta-carotene and phytoene which are known to fight inflation and its associated illnesses.
Tomatoes were ranked as one of the best food for fighting inflammation by the Harvard Medical School. They suggested that tomatoes are a must-have for everyone who is looking for a way to reduce inflammation and its symptoms.
15. Tomatoes help to strengthen the immune system
Diets rich in tomatoes have been proven to help enhance and improve the functioning of white blood cells.
Red blood cells are known to reduce damage to the body system that may be from free radicals and fight off infections from the body.
16. Tomatoes may help protect and strengthen your bones
One of the health benefits of tomatoes is their ability to help strengthen and protect your bone from osteoporosis.
Tomatoes are a rich source of vitamin A which is important for the maintenance and growth of bones.
Tomatoes also contain vitamin C which is good for the healthy formation of bones and connective tissues.
You can also check out our well-detailed article on the health benefits of okra
Conclusion
Tomatoes are fruits with a lot of health benefits which makes them a must-consume fruit for everyone.
Considering the numerous health benefits of tomatoes it is advisable that you incorporate them daily into your meals. Tomatoes can be eaten raw, processed, juiced or cooked, no method is better than the other.
Knowing what you know now, we believe that you will make the right and healthy choice of embracing tomatoes and tomato-based foods with both hands.
Note
This information does not in any way replace that of a health professional. Be reminded to always consult with your doctor about any medical concerns, issues, conditions and supplements that you may be taking. Always consider the advice of a medical practitioner on the treatment of any health issue you may experience.
