Tomato is a fruit crop that many people use as an ingredient in various food recipes. This fruit is in the nightshade plant family.
Tomato has been cultivated and used as food all over the world because it has a juice with a sweet taste, and nutritional benefits.
It is originated in the areas of Southwest America, especially in the area that is now known as Peru where it was widely used by indigenous people including the Aztecs, who cultivated it for food consumption.
Tomatoes are known by their scientific name as Solanum lycopersicum which is in the genus Solanum, which includes other edible plants such as eggplant and potato.
Many people think of tomatoes as vegetables, although they are actually a fruit.
Tomatoes are a very good and tasty food even when eaten raw in pickles or in various sandwiches and they have additional sweetness when they are cooked.
It is a food that is very important in the diet of the people of Africa including Tanzania.
Tomatoes are made up of 94% water and the remaining percentages are a mixture of various nutrients and minerals found in it, including carbohydrates, dietary fiber, a small amount of protein, vitamin C, potassium, manganese, and copper. and not forgetting antioxidants
The following are some of the benefits of tomatoes for human health:
1. It can help as a protection against cancer.
Various studies show that the more people eat tomatoes, the more they help reduce the risk of lung, stomach and cervical cancer.
This is due to a substance called Lycopene that makes tomatoes appear red in color and is thought to be the reason why tomatoes have that immunity.
Cooked tomatoes have more Lycopene than raw tomatoes because
cooking tomatoes breaks down the walls of living cells, which helps to release more Lycopene.
If you eat tomatoes in foods with olive oil, it helps Lycopene to be absorbed better in the body.
2. It’s helpful for protecting against DNA damage.
Due to the abundance of antioxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin A, which works to protect DNA from damage.
But tomatoes can also help protect you against age-related diseases such as diabetes.
3. It reduces the risk of heart disease.
Important nutrients such as niacin, folate and vitamin b6, are involved in reducing the risk of heart disease.
Some studies have found that women who ate at least seven tomatoes per week were 29 percent less likely to have heart disease compared to women who ate less.
4. They protect you from thrombosis problems.
Thrombosis is a problem of blood clotting in the veins.
Research shows that it is important to eat low sodium tomatoes if you want to protect yourself from these problems.
5. Preventing inflammation problems.
Research shows that drinking one glass of tomato juice a day is a great help on the reduction of tnf-alpha by 34 percent in the blood that causes inflammation in the body.
People with chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis and alzheimer’s, seem to have high levels of Tnf-alpha.
How to get more benefits from tomatoes:
A. Don’t only eat them raw by themselves
Try cooking tomatoes in soups, sauces, or salads. Cooking helps our body absorb more lycopene.
B. Make juice:
Tomato juice is a great way to get all the nutrients of tomatoes. You can add other things like carrots or celery to it for a different taste.
C. Use in a salad:
Cut the tomatoes and put them in your salad. They will add flavor and nutrients to your meal.
In short, tomato is like your health friend. They bring many benefits to your body, from head to toe!.
So try to eat as many tomatoes as possible for good health, because here in Tanzania the availability of tomatoes is easy and not bad if you will be making a pickle with a lot of tomatoes in your daily meals.
Note: Although tomatoes have many benefits, when everything is too much, it can be bad. Do not use too many tomatoes, and if you are allergic to tomatoes, it is better to stay away from them.