The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a fruit from the nightshade family native to South America. Tomato is a juicy, nutritious fruit commonly eaten as a vegetable. The small red good looking vegetable has more to offer than just its color. It is filled with nutrients like the lycopene. Tomato is botanically considered as fruit but in general it is referred as vegetable because it is mostly used in cooking. Usually red when mature, tomatoes can also come in a variety of colors, including yellow, orange, green, and purple. What’s more, many subspecies of tomatoes exist with different shapes and flavor. Here in Guyana, it is found growing in many home gardens, is sold at various stalls, markets and supermarkets.
This article tells you everything you need to know about tomatoes.
Where Did Tomatoes Come From?
Tomato is considered to have originated from western South America, from central Ecuador through Peru to northern Chile. Finally tomatoes were planted throughout Central America and into Mexico where Spanish explorers found them growing in Montezuma’s garden in the sixteenth century. The Spanish introduced tomatoes to the world. Today, due to its sweet, acidic flavor and slightly bitter and acidic taste as well as higher nutritional value tomatoes are been cultivated throughout the world.
Description Of Tomatoes
Tomato plants are generally much branched, spreading 60–180 cm (24–72 inches) and somewhat trailing when fruiting, but a few forms are compact and upright. Leaves are more or less hairy, strongly odorous, pinnately compound, and up to 45 cm (18 inches) long. The five-petaled flowers are yellow, 2 cm (0.8 inch) across, pendant, and clustered. Fruits are berries that vary in diameter from 1.5 to 7.5 cm (0.6 to 3 inches) or more. They are usually red, scarlet, or yellow, though green and purple varieties do exist, and they vary in shape from almost spherical to oval and elongate to pear-shaped. Each fruit contains at least two cells of small seeds surrounded by jellylike pulp.
Nutritional Value Of Tomatoes
Apart from their sweet, acidic flavor and slightly bitter and acidic taste, tomato is a good source of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Consuming 180 gram of tomatoes offers 4631 µg of Lycopene, 24.7 mg of Vitamin c, 14.2 µg of Vitamin K, 0.106 mg of Copper, 0.144 mg of Vitamin B6 and 76 µg of Vitamin A. Moreover many Amino acids 0.011 g of Tryptophan, 0.049 g of Threonine, 0.032 g of Isoleucine, 0.045 g of Leucine and 0.049 g of Lysine are also found in 180 gram of Tomatoes.
10 Magnificent Healthy Benefits Of Tomatoes
- Rich in antioxidants – Three types of anti-oxidants are found in tomatoes – Vitamin C, Vitamin A and beta-carotene. Apart from these they are also rich in manganese and vitamin E. then the presence of lycopene is believed to lower the risk of heart diseases, maintains cholesterol level and prevention of age related eye problem like macular degeneration.
- Helps in preventing cancer – Tomato is filled with phytonutrients and antioxidants which helps it in preventing the prostate cancer. The presence of alpha-tomatine in tomato alters the developing process of prostate cancer cells.
- Healthy heart – The major antioxidants, lycopene and Vitamin C is known to improve cardiovascular health by infusing oxygen to blood stream, the blood flow and circulation is improved and the cholesterol level is lowered and also helps in improving fat blood profiles.
- Healthy bone – lycopene is the reason that you will be getting healthy bone upon the consumption of tomato. They also prevent oxidative stress to your bones and the presence of potassium promotes good bone health.
- Anti-inflammatory – You will find various carotenoids which are considered to be anti-inflammatory agents. Our body is benefitted a lot from the anti-inflammatory properties.
- Rich in potassium – if your body has potassium deficiency then it might be prone to all sorts of diseases and health disorders like blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis, cancer, digestive problems and also can lead to stroke.
- Healthy eyesight – If you want to reduce the risk of macular degeneration and beta-carotene helps in improving night vision. If you have a weak night vision then you must have tomato in your regular diet. You can eat it raw or cooked any which ways it will taste good.
- Diabetes – The mineral chromium is found in high quantity in tomatoes making it very good for diabetic patients as it regulates the blood sugar level. So start having tomatoes now in your meal and see how it regulates your blood sugar level.
- Helpful in Alzheimer’s disease – Even Alzheimer’s patients are said to be benefitted by the consumption of tomatoes. The presence of so many nutrients makes this vegetable a must have in everybody’s diet as it will help them maintain their health.
- Helps in reducing weight – Another nutritional benefit of tomatoes is that tomatoes are a low calorie food which is filled with numerous nutrients making it a very good food item to be included in your diet. It has been proved that tomatoes help in reducing the risk of turning obese. It helps in maintaining your health and provides you with all the beneficial nutrients that will help you keep fit and healthy.
About Tomatoes
Tomatoes are juicy and sweet, full of antioxidants, and may help fight several diseases. They are especially high in lycopene, a plant compound linked to improved heart health, cancer prevention, and protection against sunburns. Tomatoes can be a valuable part of a healthy diet.
Article References:
- https://whatthafact.com/nutritional-benefits-of-tomatoes/
- https://www.britannica.com/plant/tomato
- https://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/tomatoes/
