The benefits of eating tomatoes and how to choose tomatoes

What are the benefits of eating tomatoes, or what benefits does eating tomatoes have for our body?

Tomato vs. Ketchup

Compared with tomatoes, the lycopene content in concentrated tomato paste is higher. However, tomato paste loses the dietary fiber contained in fresh tomatoes. Therefore, experts say that you can eat both fresh tomatoes and tomato paste, and it is best to eat both in moderation.

Raw vs. cooked

Tomatoes can be eaten raw or cooked. Both ways are good for the body and you can choose according to your preference. Experts say that lycopene and carotene are both soluble in oil, so they are good for frying tomatoes or making soups. The absorption rate is low when eaten raw. If you want to take vitamin C, you can eat it raw or cooked, because tomatoes have high acidity, which is conducive to the stability of vitamin C, and the loss after cooking is relatively small. If you want to get potassium and dietary fiber, you can eat it raw or cooked.

Tomatoes are cold in nature, and have the effects of clearing heat, cooling blood, promoting fluid production and quenching thirst. If you are thirsty, eating a tomato will make you feel very comfortable. But for those who are afraid of cold, eating it cooked is the best choice. Eating it raw can easily cause intolerance and lead to diarrhea.

Health Tips

When eating tomatoes, it is best not to remove the skin, because the skin of tomatoes also contains vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. In addition, pay attention to washing tomatoes when eating them raw.

Debunking rumors about tomatoes

Regarding the saying that "tomatoes contain nicotine, and eating them raw is equivalent to smoking and can easily cause cancer", experts said that the nicotine content in tomatoes is negligible and cannot be compared with the nicotine content in cigarettes, so there is no need to worry about it. >>> Pay attention to six taboos when eating tomatoes

How to choose tomatoes

There are many varieties of tomatoes. The ones with a strong red color are rich in lycopene, which is very good for preventing cancer. The light yellow ones contain only a small amount of carotene and no lycopene. The orange ones have less lycopene, but higher carotene content. The sugar content in small tomatoes is higher than that in large tomatoes, so they are more suitable as fruits, but the calories are also slightly higher. Other things such as the content of vitamins vary depending on the variety and cultivation method, and cannot be generalized. Fan Zhihong believes that if you want to meet the need for vitamin C, all kinds of tomatoes are good. The key is to choose those that mature in season, because those that mature in season have a higher vitamin content than those grown in greenhouses. If you want to supplement antioxidant ingredients such as lycopene and carotene, you should choose dark red or orange ones instead of pink or yellow ones.