Tomatoes: benefits and most important properties

Tomatoes: benefits and most important properties

The tomatoes they are, without any doubt, one of the fundamental ingredients in almost the vast majority of houses, especially for their important benefits and properties. They can be eaten in salads, but also alone, boiled, in sauce ... They become, in fact, extremely versatile vegetables in the kitchen, inviting them to include them in a wide variety of recipes and very diverse dishes.

It is an extremely healthy food, and also delicious, which together with its ease of preparation makes it an indispensable ingredient in many recipes. In addition, because of its low caloric content and its low fat content, it is easy to find it as a food in the menu of many weight loss diets.

The main qualities that tomato offers us

Not in vain, as we can see throughout the present post, it stands out for the amount of minerals, vitamins and water (around 94%) that it contains. Its intense red color, for example, is due to its content in lycopene, a substance antioxidant It does not become vitamin A, and it has a protective effect against a large number of heart problems.

It has a large amount of vitamins (B, C and A), and in addition to having few calories and fat, is ideal in diets to lose weight. Important is its mineral content, which highlights the potassium, although it also has phosphorus, magnesium and calcium, among many others.

The tomato It is a vegetable low in sodium, so, also, it is highly recommended in hypertensive patients. It is very good to aid in digestion, containing organic acid salts, specifically malt and citrates. Precisely because of this issue, however, is not recommended in people who have kidney stones.

If for example we want to take advantage of all the fiber of the tomatoes (Question that, as you know, helps us maintain a healthy digestive system), you should always choose to eat the tomato with your skin, without peeling it.

In short, the tomato offers the following properties:

• High in lycopene, an antioxidant that helps prevent prostate cancer in men.
• Being low in sodium is recommended in the diet of people with high blood pressure.
• It is rich in fiber, especially if you eat with your skin.
• It provides vitamins (especially vitamins B, C, A and E), as well as minerals (such as potassium, phosphorus and magnesium).
• It helps to make digestion well.

Tomato nutrition information

100 grams of tomato contribute:

What is tomato?

It is a species belonging to the genusSolanum (of the Solanaceae family), scientifically known asSolanum lycopersicum and it is native to South America. In fact, there is a historical record that about 2,500 years ago it was consumed as food in Mexico.

It basically consists of the fruit of the tomato plant, characterized by having a smooth and very bright pink skin, with seeds inside yellow and flat, and a really juicy flesh or flesh.

Do you know how many tomato varieties exist?

There is a wide variety of tomatoes. In fact, the Plant Introduction Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has created a huge list of around 10,000 different varieties of tomatoes. Unfortunately, around 80% are not available in seed banks, so in reality few are the varieties that originally reach the final consumer.

However, there are a total of 6 varieties that stand out precisely because they are the most popular and known (apart from the one known as common tomato, of course):

• Cherry tomato:Also known ascherry tomatoIt is an essential ingredient in salads, due to its small size, making it an ideal aperitif for side dishes. It has a diameter that oscillates between 1 to 3 centimeters, and its flavor is something acidic and slightly sweet.
• Pear tomato:It is also known by the names oftear tomatoorRoman tomato, presents a shape similar to the pear (hence its name). It has a mild flavor and something sweet (it is not acid at all), which makes it an ideal ingredient in salads. In turn, inside the tomato pear we can find different variants such as Canario, Breton, Daniela, Magda, Muchamiel or Alborán, among others.
• Kumato (black tomato):It has become tremendously popular in recent years. It is fleshy and its pulp is really wonderful.In addition, it has a really characteristic appearance, thanks to its rounded shape and its slightly dark color.
• Tomato Raf:It is a very curious variety, which is the result of crossing different varieties of traditional tomatoes. It is also characteristic, since it has an irregular shape, with grooves that are placed on both sides. In addition, its color tends to vary between reddish orange and intense green, with dark green stripes at the top.

Bibliographic references:

• Perveen R, Suleria HA, Anjum FM, Butt MS, Pasha I, Ahmad S. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Carotenoids and Lycopenes Chemistry; Metabolism, Absorption, Nutrition, and Allied Health Claims-A Comprehensive Review. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2015. //www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10408398.2012.657809

Images of Istockphoto. This article is published for informational purposes only. You can not and should not replace the consultation with a Nutritionist. We advise you to consult your trusted Nutritionist. ThemesVegetables and greens

Nutrition Advice : Health Benefits of Tomatoes (April 2024)