Tomato - Health benefits

12:01 AM fruits , health benefits , tomato 1 Comments

Tomato

1. Its vital anti-oxidant content called 'Lycopene' that helps in the fight against cancerous cell formation as well as other kinds of health complications and diseases.  The free radicals in the body can be flushed out with high levels of Lycopene, and the tomato is so amply loaded with this vital anti-oxidant that it actually derives its rich redness from the nutrient.
2. Apart from preventing cancer, heart disease as well as high cholesterol are also in the tomato's sights.
3. Research is now slowly proving that there is a high likelihood that the consumption of tomatoes and tomato based products actually may prevent serum lipid oxidation and reduce the risk of macular degenerative disease.
4. Two powerful compounds found in tomatoes-coumaric acid and chlorogenic acid-are thought to block the effects of nitrosamines. These are compounds that not only are formed naturally in the body, but also are the strongest carcinogen in tobacco smoke. By blocking the effects of these nitrosamines, the chances of lung cancer are reduced significantly.
5. They also contain large amounts of vitamin C, providing 40 percent of the daily value (DV). They also contain 15 percent DV of vitamin A, 8 percent DV of potassium, and 7 percent of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of iron for women and 10 percent RDA for men.
6. They are also a very good source of vitamin B6, niacin, folic acid, fiber, and pantothenic acid. When choosing your tomatoes, be sure to pick those with the most brilliant shades of red. These indicate the highest amounts of beta carotene and lycopene.
7. Red tomatoes contain up to four times the amount of beta-carotene as green tomatoes.