Tomatoes are a versatile ingredient, and when they’re perfectly ripe – which means juicy with just the right amount of tanginess- there’s nothing that can beat them.
Whether you enjoy them fresh for dining or in ketchup form at home; whether your taste buds prefer it Sun ripened (as mine do!), vine grown on American soil…I think we can all agree these beauties deserve a top place in our homes!
Tomatoes are a delicious and healthy addition to any meal. They’re packed with vitamins, minerals like potassium that promote heart health as well as other nutrients you probably didn’t know about!
Read on and find out why tomatoes should be on your plate every day!
Top 10 Reasons Eat Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a garden favorite. They’re full of essential nutrients and offer various health benefits, so let’s take a look at what you need to know about this popular fruit!
1. Better Eyesight
Carotenoids in tomatoes help give them their color, and these are converted to vitamin A. One average sized tomato contains around 20% of your daily recommended value for this important nutrient!
Vitamin A deficiency can lead to night blindness, whereas getting enough carotenoids that are converted into rhodopsin helps improve your vision.
2. Cell Growth
Vitamin A is an essential vitamin for cell growth. It’s also vital in the development of a developing fetus, helping it to grow properly throughout its life cycle and providing crucial nutrients for us.
3. Collagen Production
You can get a healthy dose of vitamin C from one medium tomato. The fruit contains about 28% the recommended daily allowance for adults, and it’s packed with other nutrients too!
Collagen is an important part of our bodies that helps us to have strong bones, skin and muscles.
4. Fluid Balance
The average tomato contains around 250-300 milligrams of potassium, an important mineral for maintaining fluid balance in the body. Potassium moves between inside and outside cells to keep us hydrated!
Potassium is also a mineral that helps to regulate heart rate and our muscles.
5. Immune Support
Vitamin C is a vital vitamin that supports the immune system and combats harmful free radicals. It also acts as an antioxidant, fighting off infection in your body while helping you stay healthy!
6. Improved Digestion
Tomatoes are an excellent source of dietary fiber, which can promote regularity when consumed on a daily basis. This type of nutrient does not dissolve in water and is instead found within the fruit itself!
Whole grains and produce are important sources of insoluble fiber, which helps to keep our digestive processes regular. Chloride is also an essential element in stomach juices that help us break down food as well!
7. Reduced Blood Pressure
Lycopene is the antioxidant found in tomatoes that gives them their red color, and studies have shown it may help reduce blood pressure.
Lycopene is a nutrient that can lower blood pressure and reduce LDL cholesterol by 10%.
A meta-analysis of 12 studies involving more than 2,000 people found the benefit from eating foods with high levels of lycopene (25 mg or higher) was present when it came to reducing serum lipids like triglycerides, while still maintaining other important health benefits, such as reduced inflammation in arteries due to its anti-inflammatory effect.
So, how many tomatoes should you eat in order to get at least 25 mg of lycopene in your system?
Store bought ketchup contains about 10-13 milligrams of lycopene per 100 grams. Not only is store-bought ketchup full of preservatives and artificial ingredients, but it also contains an unhealthy amount of sodium. It would take over 18 packets of ketchup for one person to get a daily dose of lycopene, and that means lots of unhealthy sodium for your body.
You can make your homemade favorite sauces and salsas with much less sodium than what you’ll find in the grocery store.
When it comes to fresh tomatoes’ lycopene content, however, range from under one milligram to about seven per hundred grams of fresh tomato. That is about 3” medium-sized cherry tomatoes.
8. Reduced Cholesterol
Lycopene is a nutrient that can help you keep your cholesterol levels down. It works specifically by lowering LDL, or “bad” cholesterol and giving more of the good variety to protect against heart disease.
You’ll want to eat fresh tomatoes whenever you can. But don’t worry, cooked products like sauce and soup still contain lycopene! The important thing is to be consistent when eating tomatoes and tomato soups, sauces, or anything that contains tomatoes in a larger quantity.
9. Reversed Smoking Damage
A 2017 study showed that diets rich in tomatoes and other fruits helped to reduce the decline of lung function experienced by ex-smokers.
Tomatoes are not a magical cure – they can help, but don’t count on them. The best way to avoid lung damage caused by smoking is just not smoke at all!
But tomatoes have some potential perks when it comes to your health: fresh produce might keep you from getting sick in the first place or maybe even heal the damage that is already done to the lungs.
A perfect reason to add tomatoes to your garden this season, huh?
10. Skin Benefits
Studies have shown that tomatoes can help protect your skin from the harmful effects of UV rays. However, this evidence is limited and there are only a few controlled studies so far- most trials were small in size which makes it hard to draw any conclusions.
I think it’s important to continue using your sunscreen and wearing appropriate sun protection in the garden! Eating an extra few tomatoes this summer can’t hurt either.
Need More Tomatoes in Your Life?
These fruits are wonderful because they can be enjoyed in many forms. Raw, stewed, juiced and even puréed! The list goes on and on with these versatile delights – you name it; there is probably a fruit out here for everyone who loves them as much I do (or at least pretends to).
They make fantastic snacks or desserts but also offer so much more than just those things: ketchup anyone?
You can get a lot of lycopene by eating tomatoes, and the cherry varieties offer even more. They’re great for salads or on top of pizza!
A delicious caprese salad with a beautiful heirloom tomato is the perfect way to enjoy summer. With all that vitamin C from those homegrown cherry tomatoes, it’s no wonder this dish provides many health benefits!
Tomatoes are a simple and affordable way to add more nutritional value on your plate. Whether you choose the sauce or juice, tomatoes will help make any meal better!