Tomatoes are a healthy fruit from the nightshade family, containing high levels of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as lycopene, which can inhibit various cancers. Bright red tomatoes are the most beneficial, and cooking them releases even more nutrients.
A tomato is the fruit of the Lycopersicon lycopersicum plant, which belongs to the nightshade (Solanaceae) family that also includes peppers, white potatoes, and eggplants. The word Lycopersicon means “wolf peach” in Latin, referring to the ancient belief that tomatoes, like wolves, were extremely dangerous. However, tomatoes are not toxic. In fact, the many benefits of tomatoes add up to make the tomato a truly health food.
One of the benefits of tomatoes is that they are an excellent source of vitamins. One medium tomato provides almost half of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of vitamin C, an essential vitamin that also acts as an antioxidant. Vitamin C helps the human body form connective tissue, access iron, and keep gums and capillaries healthy.
Tomatoes also contain a lot of vitamin A, mainly through carotenoids like beta-carotene. This essential vitamin helps maintain normal cell growth, maintains healthy hair and skin, aids in the development of bones and teeth, and promotes proper vision. The antioxidants in vitamins A and C travel through the human body and neutralize dangerous free radicals that could damage cells and cell membranes.
Other benefits of tomatoes include their high amounts of vitamin K, potassium, niacin, vitamin B6, and riboflavin. These nutrients work together to lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels, maintain bone health, improve blood clotting abilities, and reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and kidney stones. Vitamin B6 also helps convert a potentially dangerous chemical called homocysteine into benign molecules. High levels of homocysteine can directly damage blood vessel walls and increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Also, riboflavin can reduce the frequency of migraine headaches, so patients might benefit from adding a tomato to their daily diets.
In smaller amounts, tomatoes also contain vitamin E, calcium, phosphorous, tryptophan, and protein. A tomato is also a good source of chromium, a mineral that can help diabetics keep their blood sugar levels in check. Additionally, tomatoes contain a large amount of fiber, which has also been shown to lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Several of these nutrients are also believed to prevent colon cancer.
Perhaps the most important of the many health benefits of tomatoes is that they contain the ingredient lycopene, which is the pigment in tomatoes that makes them red. Lycopene also acts as an antioxidant, neutralizing free radicals that damage cells in the body. Growing research results report that lycopene in tomatoes is a powerful inhibitor of prostate, colon, stomach, lung, breast, and endometrial cancers.
To take full advantage of the many benefits of tomatoes, people should eat the brightest red tomatoes. The redder the tomato, the greater the amounts of lycopene and beta-carotene it contains. A yellow tomato has far fewer benefits and green tomatoes have none. Although raw tomatoes are healthy, healthier compounds are released when cooked. In fact, tomato sauce and canned tomatoes are just as healthy as fresh tomatoes because high-temperature processing does not affect nutritional value.
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