Every day, hundreds of people eat tomatoes in fresh and processed forms. You should find out the benefits of tomatoes and why their presence is necessary in the diet. Since ancient times, the vegetable has been called the golden apple.
Tomatoes have antioxidant properties, help slow down the aging process, and are actively used to prevent a wide range of diseases. The medicinal properties of the product are due to the presence of vitamins, minerals, acids and other beneficial substances in it.
Beneficial features
The benefits of tomatoes are associated with their positive effect on the human body. When consumed in moderation, fresh and cooked, they have a healing effect and help cope with a number of diseases.
The beneficial properties of tomatoes are:
- improving digestion;
- antisclerotic and antirheumatic effect;
- improving the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
- increasing immunity;
- relieving swelling;
- weight loss;
- prevention of anemia;
- prevention of thrombosis;
- removing toxins from the body;
- cancer prevention;
- reducing the inflammatory process;
- treatment of varicose veins;
- removal of salts and normalization of salt balance;
- relieving depression;
- prevention of nervous system diseases
- prevention of osteoporosis;
- prevention of vision problems.
The list of beneficial properties of tomatoes is very wide and varied. It’s not for nothing that they were previously called golden apples. Due to their low calorie content, ripe fruits help people cope with excess weight. Tomatoes and tomato juice are one of the most common foods in diets.
The antioxidant properties of tomatoes allow you to protect not only individual systems, but also the entire body as a whole. With proper consumption of fresh tomatoes, a general improvement in appearance and well-being is noted.
Features of the composition of tomatoes
Many people are interested in the question of the benefits of tomatoes. To answer this question, it is necessary to find out what vitamins, macro and microelements are included in its composition.
The high carbohydrate content of tomatoes is of particular importance for the human body. There are about 3.7 grams of them per 100 grams of product.
In second place is the low calorie content of the product. 100 grams of pulp provide no more than 20 kcal.This makes the product ideal for dietary nutrition.
In third place in importance are useful substances.
- Vitamins and minerals. Tomatoes contain large amounts of vitamin C, A, K, PP, B vitamins, and folic acid. In terms of vitamin C content, tomatoes can be compared with citrus fruits. Among the mineral substances, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, sodium, iodine, and iron are especially distinguished.
- When ripe, tomatoes have a bright red color. The color of the peel is due to the presence of anthocyanins. Their benefit to the body is to fight free radicals. That is why experts pay special attention to ripe fruits. Thanks to anthocyanins, vascular resistance increases, the cardiovascular system is strengthened, and immunity increases.
- Lycopene. The presence of lycopene in tomatoes determines its antioxidant effect. Due to this, the fruits have the ability to slow down the development of cancer cells.
The effect of tomatoes on the male and female body
The benefits and harms of tomatoes for women and men differ. If we talk about women, then, first of all, they mention the importance of the product in dietary nutrition and cosmetology.
The product is believed to normalize metabolism. Thanks to the improved functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and the low calorie content of the vegetable, weight is reduced and well-being improves. Tomatoes are recommended for consumption by pregnant women. Their benefits are associated with preventing constipation and improving bowel function.
The importance of the product in cosmetology is undeniable. The juice and pulp of the fruits are used to prepare masks, compresses and other cosmetic products. As a result of use, the condition of the skin improves and its elasticity increases.
Tomatoes have a positive effect on the condition of nail plates and hair.By regularly using tomatoes, the benefits become visible after 1-2 months.
The benefits of tomatoes for men include a positive effect in the treatment of prostate adenoma and prostatitis. The peculiarities of the combination of beneficial vitamins, micro and macroelements allow tomatoes to minimize the risk of developing prostate cancer and a number of other male diseases.
The effect of tomatoes on the body in old age
Tomato is the healthiest vegetable in the diet of an elderly person. The beneficial effects are associated with the high content in tomatoes carotene, vitamin C, potassium and lycopene. At the same time, only ripe tomatoes collected from the branches were considered the most useful. When harvesting an unripe crop, the vitamin content in the fruits is significantly lower.
The benefits of tomatoes on the elderly body are associated with the prevention of hypertension, arthrosis, diseases of the cardiovascular system, and improvement of blood composition.
At the same time, older people are recommended to eat fresh vegetables, limiting their volume in case of urolithiasis, gout, and gastrointestinal diseases.
It is not recommended to give preference to salting in old age. This is due to the high salt content in the marinade and their negative effect on the liver.
Another beneficial property of tomatoes for older people is their diuretic effect. Timely urine output and prevention of stagnation have a positive effect on overall well-being.
Beneficial properties of the processed product
The beneficial properties of tomatoes are preserved even in processed form. Children, the elderly, or people suffering from gastrointestinal diseases or intestinal disorders are recommended to consume boiled tomatoes or after light heat treatment. This way they are better absorbed. Eating stewed tomatoes is good for the liver.
Tomato juice has proven itself well. It is rich in vitamins, calcium, manganese, iodine, iron, zinc and other minerals. The presence of pectin in large quantities helps reduce cholesterol in the blood and relieve inflammatory processes in the body.
It is recommended to consume the juice at least half an hour before meals. If you need to lose weight, the drink replaces one of your meals.
The benefits of salted tomatoes are not significantly different from the fresh product. The main thing is to follow the cooking rules. The recipe should contain no vinegar at all. Salted and pickled tomatoes retain lycopene, which has antioxidant properties. Also, the marinade does not destroy a larger number of vitamins and minerals. This means that even in brine the product retains its positive effect on the body.
Negative effects and possible contraindications
The harm and benefit of tomatoes are in the same neighborhood. It has been scientifically proven that tomatoes are harmful when consumed without taking into account individual characteristics and existing diseases of internal organs. Negative facts about the vegetable have been known since ancient times. Ancient people called it poisonous and prohibited its use as food.
The harmful properties of tomatoes are associated with the content of glycoalkaloid, a complex organic substance. Its content in large quantities is observed in unripe fruits.
If it enters the human body in large quantities, symptoms such as stomach pain, nervous system disorder, and headache may appear. Therefore, tomatoes are harmful to the human body only in an unripe state.
If we talk more seriously about why ripe tomatoes are harmful, it is worth listing a list of diseases for which the fruits should be consumed with caution or completely excluded from the diet.
Contraindications include:
- the presence of stones in the gall bladder;
- kidney diseases;
- joint diseases;
- gout;
- allergic reaction;
- ulcers in the stomach;
- acute stage of pancreatitis;
- increased stomach acidity;
- arthritis;
- diseases of the cardiovascular system;
- gastrointestinal disorders.
It should be noted that in case of increased stomach acidity and peptic ulcers, it is not recommended to eat fresh tomatoes. But they can be eaten stewed. As a substitute, stewed tomatoes with sour cream are excellent. They reduce the negative impact of vegetables on the stomach.
Salted and canned tomatoes negatively affect the condition of patients with gastritis. In this case, the negative properties lie in salt, vinegar and a large number of spices that are added to the marinade. When eating tomatoes or switching to a diet with a high content of them, you should familiarize yourself with the list of contraindications in advance or consult your doctor.
Whether tomatoes are beneficial or harmful to health, everyone decides for themselves. Experts clearly agree that patients who regularly consume vegetables in moderation and do not overuse salt and vinegar suffer less from age-related disorders and a number of other diseases.
