TOMATO is a small hairy annual herb that grows up to 1 metre in height. The leaves have a strong pleasing fragrance. The fruit is red in colour when ripe and varies in shape and size; it is fleshy, soft and succulent, and contains many small seeds surrounded by jelly-like pulp. Tomato is a very popular vegetable cultivated extensively in gardens and farms throughout the world for its fruit which is the part used. The biological name of tomato is Lycopersicon esculentum. It belongs to the Nightshade family (Solanaceae). The French call it “The Apple of Love”, while the Germans know it as “The Apple of Paradise”. All over the globe, more tomato is consumed than any other single fruit or vegetable. People relish it, eating it raw, in salad, as juice. It is also used fresh or canned as an ingredient for making a variety of sauces, soups, sandwiches, etc. Chemical constituents/ Nutritional Benefits Tomato is a rich source of vitamins: vitamin C (a potent antioxidant that mops up free radicals), vitamins A and B, folic acid, pantothenic acid, biotin, vitamin K and inhibitols which are related to vitamin E. Tomato is also very rich in blood alkaline-forming minerals like potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and potash salt which help to keep the blood alkaline, and this maintains a high resistance to disease. With the exception of tryptophan, unripe and ripe tomatoes contain all the essential amino acids and organic acids such as citric, oxalic, malic acids, p-coumaric acid and cholorogenic acid. The ripe fruit contains glucose and fructose. Because of these acids, some people avoid tomato. However, studies have shown that, tomato, eaten raw or cooked, has alkaline reactions at the cellular level and neutralizes conditions of acidity due to its high content of vitamins and minerals. Some health researchers believe that taking four fresh and ripe tomatoes daily can adequately meet an individual’s daily need of vitamins. But when it is overcooked, fried or frozen, most of the valuable nutrients are destroyed. The most important active ingredient in tomato that has received a very wide scientific publicity is Lycopene, a carotenoid that gives ripe tomato its red colour and is believed to be the world’s most powerful antioxidant and has anticancer and chemopreventive properties. It is important to mention that lycopene in tomato is not destroyed when heated or cooked; in fact, cooking (especially with olive oil) helps to liberate it and also help to facilitate the absorption. Scientists now believe that cancerous growths in the body occur as a result of mutational changes occurring at the cellular level initiated by free radicals (unstable molecules that the body naturally produces as it metabolizes amino acids and fat). These radicals freely react with and destroy or damage healthy cells, and can alter the structure of DNA. And the liver may be too congested or too weak to remove damaged cells ab initio. Antioxidants are naturally occurring substances that help to eliminate or mop-up free radicals and reverse any cellular damage or limit the extent of cellular damage in the body. The body or the liver produces its own antioxidants, such as glutathione, lipoic acid and coQ10 to neutralize free radicals. However, the production of antioxidants declines with age. Several groups of antioxidants have been identified in fruits and vegetables including, for example, Lycopene in tomatoes, watermelons, pink guava, pink grapefruits, papayas; Vitamins like vitamin A, E and C in large number of fruits, vegetables and herbs; Carotenes in tomatoes, carrots, mangoes, sweet potatoes spinach; Quercetin in onions, green teas, apple skins, grapes, etc. Tomato is a natural cancer fighter. Therefore, eating fresh or cooked tomato and other fresh vegetables and fruits regularly is one of the best ways of preventing and fighting all kinds of cancer. Studies have shown that people who eat a large amount of tomatoes and tomato products have reduced risk of developing prostate cancer and other types of cancers like lung, stomach, liver, pancreatic, colorectal, oral and esophageal, ovarian, breast, and cervical cancers. Even when the disease has been diagnosed - especially prostate cancer, increased tomato consumption makes the disease less aggressive because the lycopene present in tomato is a natural cancer-fighting agent and also prevents cancer from spreading to the surrounding tissues and organs. Lycopene is known to be twice as powerful as beta-carotene in neutralizing and mopping up free radicals. Therapeutic Properties and Health Benefits of Tomato Tomato has the following properties: digestive, aperitif, analgesic, antibacterial, appetizer, carminative, stomachic, diuretic, rejuvenative, invigorating, tonic, anticancer, antioxidant, chemopreventive, antiprostatitic, hypocholesterolemic, hypotensive, etc. It is now known that liver insufficiency is the main cause of the establishment of any form of cancerous growth centres or tumours in any part of the human body. Also, it has been proven that an efficient liver working at its full capacity will protect every cell in the body from undergoing degenerative changes that could lead to any form of abnormal growth. Researches have shown that tomato plays a key role in maintaining the health and wellbeing of the liver. It activates and stimulates torpid liver. Tomato is the most wonderful and effective blood and liver cleanser known to man. It is rich in sulphur and chlorine, which help in stimulating the detoxifying or toxic-waste-removing actions of the liver. Sulphur is one of the trace elements, which help in protecting the liver from the effects of toxic chemical and cirrhosis A regular drinking of fresh tomato juice helps in the self-regenerate actions of the liver when it is damaged or destroyed. A daily intake if tomatoes juice helps to: Prevent the formation of stones in the kidneys and gallbladder. Prevent eye disorders, soothes eye irritation. Vitamin A in tomato nourishes the optic nerves, improves vision, prevents night blindness and helps to reduce the risk of macular degeneration of the eye. Restore vitality in those having persistent fatigue.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Jun 2013 17:58:32 +0000
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