Tomato is considered both, a fruit and a vegetable and forms an integral part of cuisines across the globe, especially in the Mediterranean region. Daily consumption of tomatoes provides a great boost to the health, along with improving the flavor of food. You can find them in different foods like pasta, pizzas, ketchup, and various beverages. They are relatively easy to cultivate and grow very quickly, making them a great food source, which is a big reason why tomatoes are a staple food for many nations.
The scientific name of tomatoes is Solanum lycopersicum and they are accepted to be local to Mexico. Be that as it may, the Spanish colonization of America and Central America made tomato development spread. They are a yearly nightshade plant and develop in bunches of little to tolerably estimated, round red organic products. They have delicate, pinkish red fragile living creature and a number ofseeds, and additionally a marginally sweet taste. They are viewed as both, vegetables and foods grown from the ground around 4 ounces.
These days, tomatoes are developed in nations everywhere throughout the world and there are a great many cultivars and assortments that can give you remarkable health benefits. How about we investigate a couple of the reasons why they are such a profitable nourishment thing for human health.
Tomatoes Nutrition Facts
The health benefits of tomatoes can be attributed to their wealth of nutrients and vitamins, including an impressive amount of vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K, as well as significant amounts of vitamin B6, folate, and thiamine. They are also a good source ofpotassium, manganese,magnesium, phosphorus, andcopper. They have dietary fiberand protein, as well as a number of organic compounds like lycopene that contribute to their health benefits.
Health Benefits Of Tomatoes
The health benefits of tomatoes have been known to mankind since ancient times. They are rich sources of antioxidants that have been proven to be effective against many forms of cancer. Let’s discuss the benefits in detail.
Antioxidant Agent
Tomato contains a large amount of lycopene, an antioxidant that is highly effective in scavenging cancer-causing free radicals. This benefit can even be obtained from heat-processed tomato products like ketchup. The lycopene in tomatoes defends against cancer and has been shown to be effective in fightingprostate cancer, cervical cancer, cancer of the stomach and rectum as well as pharynx and esophageal cancers. It also protects against breast and mouth cancer, according to studies published by the Harvard School of Public Health.
Rich Source of Vitamins and Minerals
A single tomato can provide about 40% of the daily vitamin C requirement. Vitamin C is a natural antioxidant which prevents cancer-causing free radicals from damaging the body’s systems. It also contains abundant vitamin A and potassium, as well as iron. Potassium plays a vital role in maintaining nerve health and iron is essential for maintaining normal blood circulation. Vitamin K, which is essential for blood clotting and controlling bleeding, is also abundant in tomatoes.
It Protects the Heart
The lycopene in tomatoes prevents serum lipid oxidation, thus exerting a protective effect against cardiovascular diseases. A regular consumption of tomatoes has been proven to decrease the levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood. These lipids are the key culprits in cardiovascular diseases and lead to the deposition of fats in the blood vessels.
Tomato Improves Vision
Vitamin A, present in tomatoes, aids in improving vision and preventing night-blindness and macular degeneration. Vitamin A is a powerful antioxidant that can be formed from an excess of beta-carotene in the body. A lot of vision problems occur due to the negative effects of free radicals and vitamin A, being a powerful antioxidant, can help prevent them.
it Aids in Digestion
Tomatoes keep the digestive system healthy by preventing both constipation and diarrhea. They also prevent jaundice and effectively remove toxins from the body. Furthermore, they have a large amount of fiber, which can bulk the bowels and reduce symptoms of constipation. A healthy amount of fiber helps stimulate peristaltic motion in the smooth digestive muscles and release gastric and digestive juices. This can regulate your bowel movements, thereby improving your overall digestive health and helping you avoid conditions like colorectal cancer.
Lower Hypertension rate
Consuming a tomato daily reduces the risk of developing hypertension, also known as high blood pressure. This is partially due to the impressive levels of potassium found in tomatoes. Potassium is a vasodilator, meaning that it reduces the tension in blood vessels and arteries, thereby increasing circulation and lowering the stress on the heartby eliminating hypertension.
Manage Diabetes and reduced sugar
A study conducted by the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that daily consumption of tomatoes reduces the oxidative stress oftype 2 diabetes.
used as Skin Care tool
Tomatoes help in keeping up healthy teeth, bones, hair, and skin. Topical application of tomato juice is even known to cure severe sunburns. Every day utilization ensures the skin against UV-inducederythema. They rank high in the planning of anti-agingproducts.
Prevents Urinary Tract Infections
Tomato admission lessens the rate of urinary tract infections, also asbladder tumor. This is on the grounds that tomatoes are high in water content, which can animate pee; henceforth, they are a diuretic. This increases the end of poisons from the body, and additionally abundance water,salts, uric corrosive, and a few fats also!
Why Organic Tomatoes are vastly improved?
Natural tomatoes, as indicated by an investigation at the University of California, are created in a situation that has a lower supplement supply, since nitrogen-rich synthetic manures are not included. This prompts unnecessary arrangement of cancer prevention agents such as quercetin (79% higher) and kaempferol (97% higher) in natural tomatoes. As we as a whole know, cell reinforcements are useful for health and help in diminishing heart ailments. In addition, compound based tomato farming includes showering tomatoes with extensive amounts of pesticides and bug sprays. Tomatoes are an exceptionally showered edit all through the world. Accordingly, many organic foodlovers trust that they are shielded from compound pollution when they eat the natural ones. Of course, organic farming is useful for nature also!
GROWING TOMATOES
Tomato farming is exceptionally straightforward. Anybody can do it in any way, either in the lawn or in business amount. Developing tomato is considerably more compensating than you would ever envisioned. Tomato can be become round the year, particularly in places like Kano where there is water system framework particularly made for it. In different spots, it is best developed amid the stormy season.
Step 1: (Pick up The Best Species) –
The upgraded yield specie is the best choice for farmers, don't pick the area species. For this circumstance, I will recommend the Roma combination. The Roma tomato known for it's size and redness is a plum tomato particularly understood in the Nigerian markets. This specie can be used both for canning and making tomato stick. It is moreover ordinarily found in supermarkets in a couple of countries like the United States. Roma tomatoes are generally called Italian tomatoes, it is in like manner called Italian plum tomatoes.
What makes Roma specie incredibly exceptional is it's long time span of reasonable ease of use, it's hard back, and low water content which engages it to last longer after harvest. A paint versatile of the seed cost about N4,500
Step 2: (Prepare The Nursery) –
This should be possible around March/April when the rain is simply starting in many parts of the nation. You can utilize your patio for the nursery or some other land parcel the is appropriate for it. Tomatoes does in most soil writes in Nigeria yet better in a dark free loamy soil. Set up the ground by clearing the grasses and rubble, relax the dirt with hand trowel and cultivators.
Remove the seeds from the tomatoes and spread it on the readied soil. You can cover it with dry grasses to keep the lose of dampness from the dirt and keep winged animals ants fowls from eating off the tomato farming seeds.
Inside 5-7days you will see it developing. Hold up till about an additional five days before you expel the dry grasses to take into consideration legitimate development. Abandon it for another prior month transplanting.
Step 3: (Transplant to The Garden/Farm) –
The last excursion will move it into the changeless farm where they would develop to development and generation.
If your farm is too enormous that you can't do the transplanting alone, procure workers as indicated by your need. You should be watchful with the delicate arrangement to abstain from breaking it. Transplant is best finished with hands for better outcomes.
Open the dirt with bit of little wood, embed the seedling into the gap and cover it with lose soil. Tomato design is exceptionally delicate and delicate, it is best transplanted that day you evacuated it from the nursery to maintain a strategic distance from parchedness and weakness.
Step 4: (Weed and Apply Fertilizer) –
Following two months from transplant, it will be the ideal opportunity for weeding. Contract workers to do the weeding while you direct to guarantee that your tomato plants are not harmed amid the way toward evacuating weeds.
After the principal weed, it will be a great opportunity to apply manure to help recharge the dirt supplements taken by the weeds. To develop effectively, tomatoes require nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, potash, calcium, and magnesium, alongside other follow minerals. It's constantly best to have your dirt tried to check for supplement levels and pH level.
Use manure that supply those essential supplements – N-P-K proportion compost can be useful for tomatoes.
Step 5: (Harvest Your Tomatoes) –
Tomato is harvested in matches, the minute you begins harvesting, you'll proceed on week by week premise till the finish of the season, for the most part it will continue creating till the dry season when the plant will vanish due to the scorchingheat.
The primary harvest begins inside three months in the wake of planting. That implies on the off chance that you design by April, you ought to anticipate that your first harvest will begin by June/July. From that point, it will proceed till November/December.
Step 6 (Market Your Tomatoes) –
It is vital to set up your promoting admirably in front of harvesting. Search for who or where to supply the item. This is on account of, tomato is a perishable item unless you have manufactured capacity framework.