Tomato - Calorie Content, Benefits, Harm, Nutritional Value, Vitamins

The ratio of BJU in the product

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History

The homeland of the tomato is the Tropics of South America, or rather, Ecuador. There, this vegetable crop is a perennial evergreen plant. And the vegetable got its name from the Indians, who at one time called it "tomato". The French called him pomme d'amoure, which means "apple of love".

The tomato came to Europe shortly after the discovery of America and was initially used exclusively as an ornamental plant, and its fruits were considered not only inedible, but also poisonous. The plant was used to decorate flowerbeds and window sills, verandas, gazebos, and in England and Russia it was grown in greenhouses along with rare flowers. Even in the dictionaries of that time, the tomato was listed as a poisonous plant. Some ill-wishers even tried to poison their enemy with this vegetable. Naturally, this event did not bring success, since it is currently known that the stems, and not the fruits, are poisonous in the plant.

At the very beginning of the 19th century in Russia, the plant began to be grown as a vegetable crop. This happened thanks to the agronomist Andrei Timofeevich Bolotov. And so it happened that to this day tomatoes are one of the most popular vegetables in Russia.

Composition and calorie content of tomatoes

100 g of tomato contains 0.7 g of proteins, 0.35 g of fat, 0.98 g of fiber, 4.32 g of carbohydrates, 93.6 g of water, 0.45 g of organic acids, 3.45 g of mono- and disaccharides, 0.35 g starch, 0.75 g ash. The benefits of tomatoes are rich in vitamin composition: PP, A, B1, B2, B5, B6, B9, C, E, H, K. Tomato contains the following trace elements: manganese, fluorine, chromium, selenium, copper, iodine, iron, zinc, cobalt, rubidium, nickel, boron, molybdenum; Macronutrients: magnesium, calcium, sulfur, chlorine, phosphorus, sodium.

The calorie content of a tomato is low and amounts to 20 kcal per 100 g of product.

The benefits of tomatoes

Initially, the tomato was considered not only unhealthy vegetable, but also harmful. However, several centuries later, scientists have thoroughly studied its composition, although to this day there are many disputes between them regarding its toxicity.

The first and undoubted benefit of tomato is its excellent taste. It contains many different vitamins and minerals necessary for the human body.

In addition, the tomato is rich in tartaric, malic and citric acids. Despite the fact that many are convinced that vegetables and fruits are best eaten raw, the main benefit of tomatoes is boiled.

This red vegetable is a powerful antidepressant due to the presence of serotonin, improves mood and normalizes the nervous system. And the content of phytoncides allows it to fight inflammatory and bactericidal processes in the body.

Tomato seeds contain substances that thin the blood and prevent thrombosis. In addition, tomato seeds are an excellent preventive measure against heart attack and other serious diseases. Tomato peel has a beneficial effect on intestinal peristalsis.

Tomatoes also benefit from lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that is a natural remedy for a wide variety of diseases. Lycopene inhibits the growth of cancer cells and prevents DNA mutation. The health benefits of tomatoes are greatly enhanced when consumed with vegetable oil, as lycopene is better absorbed with vegetable fats. By the way, it is thanks to lycopene that tomatoes have a red color.

Tomato treatment

Due to the high content of nutrients, tomatoes treat various diseases.

For example, tomato juice is excellent for treating diseases of the stomach and gastrointestinal tract. It relieves constipation, which is often a consequence of diseases of the stomach and duodenum.

In case of cardiovascular diseases, whole tomatoes, salads with them and tomato juice must be present in the diet. Fresh tomatoes, as well as heat-treated ones, are an excellent remedy for all forms of atherosclerosis. And thanks to the high content of vitamins, tomato is excellent for vitamin deficiency. Therefore, if you notice that your skin, hair and nails began to look worse, it's time to stock up on vitamins and eat tomatoes.

In folk medicine, the tomato has also long been used to treat wounds and burns. A half of a fresh tomato was applied to a fresh wound, since the vegetable juice has a bactericidal and antiseptic effect. And for burns, tomato juice was mixed with egg white and applied to the sore spot. This helped to reduce pain and speed up the recovery process.

The Indian tribes used tomatoes to increase potency. Indeed, scientists have found that tomatoes have a beneficial effect on the function of the sex glands. It was not for nothing that the French called them "apples of love."

Harm of tomatoes

In addition to the benefits, tomatoes can also harm the body. The main harm of tomatoes is allergenicity. People prone to food allergies should not consume large quantities of this vegetable. In addition, the high content of oxalic acid in tomatoes, which negatively affects water-salt metabolism, makes them harmful for people with gout, arthritis, and kidney disease.

There is also an opinion, although it is not known how true it is, that with frequent consumption of tomatoes, nicotine addiction develops.

Tomatoes are choleretic, so do not abuse them for people with gallstones, as this can lead to stones getting stuck in the bile duct or causing them to grow larger.

And for people with diseases of the kidneys, cardiovascular system, hypertension, it is advisable to exclude canned, pickled and salted tomatoes from the diet. In addition, tomatoes and tomato juice can contribute to the formation of kidney and bladder stones.

Nutritionists, due to the low calorie content of tomatoes, recommend including it in the diet menu, insisting that they are incompatible with eggs, meat, bread and fish. Therefore, between eating tomatoes and these products, you need to take a break for a couple of hours.

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