Surprising Health Benefits of Tomatoes - The benefits of tomatoes seem familiar to everyone around the world. Tomatoes do have a distinctive flavor, and are often used by people as one of the spices in cooking. Not only a spice dish, but the nutritional content in tomatoes provide benefits to the body.
Tomato Nutrition Ingredients
Nutrients in one serving of raw tomatoes (one cup or 150 grams) include, vitamins A, C, K, folate and potassium. Tomatoes contain sodium, saturated fat, cholesterol and low calories. Most of us are unaware of sufficient mineral intake, but tomatoes present a good mineral content such as thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, magnesium, phosphorus and copper.
Tomatoes also contain four major carotenoid types namely alpha, beta-carotene, lutein, and lycopene. These carotenoids can be beneficial individually, but also have synergies as a group (ie, they interact to provide health benefits). In particular, tomatoes contain an amazing amount of lycopene that is thought to have the highest antioxidant benefits of all carotenoids.
According to a study from Ohio State University, tomatoes consumed along with healthy fats, such as those found in the benefits of avocado or the benefits of olive oil, can help the absorption of phytochemicals of carotenoids in the body up to 2 to 15 times. All these are the nutrients needed for good body health.
With the abundant nutritional content, what are the benefits of tomatoes for our health.
The benefits of tomatoes for health have been believed to help a variety of serious problems to cancer. A number of nutrients in the tomato, is very useful for the health of the body. Among them useful as:
Surprising Health Benefits of Tomatoes
1. For Cancer
The study of cancer found that tomatoes combined with the benefits of broccoli are synergized and can help reduce cancer. In that study, the results showed that prostate tumors grew more slowly in mice fed tomatoes and broccoli powder compared to rats given lycopene as a supplement or eating only broccoli or tomatoes alone.
Lycopene content
Studies at the University of Montreal show that a diet rich in tomatoes can help reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer. The researchers found that lycopene (the main content in tomato) content was associated with a 31% reduction in the risk of pancreatic cancer in men with the highest and lowest intake of the substance. This content is more common in cooked tomatoes.
2. Eye Health
Tomatoes contain a very powerful antioxidant that is: beta carotene (which is responsible for the function of vitamin A in the body) as in the benefits of carrots. Vitamin A provided by tomatoes can improve vision and help prevent night blindness. Recent research has shown that consuming tomatoes may help reduce the risk of macular degeneration, a serious and untreatable eye condition.
3. For Breastfeeding Moms
Breastfeeding mothers need foods that can increase the production of SI as the benefits of katuk leaves. But tomatoes can also be another alternative, to increase the concentration of lycopene ASI. In this case, cooked tomatoes will give the best results. Because the researchers found that tomato products such as tomato sauce provide an increase in the concentration of lycopene in breast milk more than fresh tomatoes.
4. Lose Weight
Tomatoes can help you lose weight as a diet, made with a sports plan that should also be done. Eat a lot of tomatoes into your daily meal by making it as a snack like salads, casseroles, sandwiches and other foods. Because tomatoes contain lots of water and fiber, so it becomes one of the foods that can fill the stomach quickly, without adding the risk of adding calories or fat in it.
5. Reduce Pain
If you are more likely to experience pain, such as arthritis or back pain), tomatoes can ease the pain. The content of bioflavonoids and carotenoids, is an anti-inflammatory agent that is able to overcome inflammation. This includes also in the inflammation that occurs in chronic diseases that usually require drugs to fight the pain (anti-inflammatory).
7. Maintaining Heart Health
Potassium content can help the body maintain cardiovascular health as well as the content of fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and choline in a tomato is essential for the heart. Types of potassium intake and combined with a low-sodium diet can help prevent us from acrdiovascular disease.
8. Prevent Hypertension
Surprising Health Benefits of Tomatoes - Reducing sodium is one of the steps in preventing hypertension, but increasing potassium intake is important to help in preventing high pressure.
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