Let's start with simple questions. Is tomato a vegetable or a fruit? Is it healthy? If so, what are the health benefits in tomato? Do you think it's safe to consume a tomato?
The Latin name for tomato, is Solanum Lycopersicum. Looking from a plant life, tomato is a berry, which technically is a fruit because it has seed, and develop from the ovary of a flowering plant. However, tomato is considered as vegetables because it has lower sugar content than fruits, and you can see it commonly used as part of a salad, or side dish for main course.
Surprisingly, tomato is not the only food with this ambiguity. Bell peppers, cucumbers, avocados, pumpkins, and zucchini have similar treatment. They all are botanically fruit, but treated and cooked as vegetables.
Health Benefits of Tomato
Tomato is a great source of vitamins and minerals. A tomato's body contains 95% water. It has 4% carbohydrates and less than 1% fat and protein. From 100gr of tomato, you'll get 18 calories and a moderate vitamin C which provide almost 40% of the daily recommended minimum dose.
- Vitamin C
It's a great boost to support immunity, vision and skin health, really beneficial antioxidant - Vitamin K1
It's good for your bone health, and blood clotting. Vitamin K1 also known as Phylloquinone - Potassium
It's a mineral for maintaining a healthy blood pressure, heart function, and muscle contractions.
Plant Toxicity
Green unripe tomato, the leaves, and stem contain a small amount of alkaloid tomatine and small amounts of solanine, which is a toxic alkaloid found in other plants in nightshade family. However, actual cases of poisoning from excessive consumption are rare.
What Can You Do With Tomato?
- Face Mask
Tomato can be used to clean dirt from your face and make it glow. All you have to do is cut a tomato, and rub it evenly over your face. Leave it for about 10-15 minutes, then rinse it with warm water
- Skin Cleanser
Mix two drops of lemon juice into a tablespoon of tomato juice. Spread it on your skin and leave it for about 10 minutes, then rinse with warm water. Do it 2-3 times a week for maximum result - Food
Salad, sandwiches, soup, marinara sauce, etc. There are a lot of delicious dishes with tomato. It's really easy to make, like for example in salad, all you have to do is chop it and toss it together. The red color also add a nice touch for the salad - Drink
Have you ever tried tomato juice or smoothie? It's healthy, it's delicious, it's a fun drink for a hot day too. Just remember to keep the sugar to minimum to keep the healthy aspect
Comments