Still speaking on the subject of vegetables, from my last post, I wrote about a fruit from the nightshade family which generally considered to be a vegetable. Today’s post looks somewhat like a continuation of that article, as our subject today, the tomato which technically is also a fruit but it is generally regarded as a vegetable. It also belongs to the nightshade family just like peppers as well.
Some of you might be curious as to why pepper and tomato are fruits, after all, when shopping in a grocery store they are always placed side by side with other vegetables e.g cabbages, onions, green leaves, e.t.c.
However, they are really just fruits and these are the reasons why:
- They have seeds as with other fruits, vegetables do not
- They are fruits or berries of flowering plants.
Moving on, let’s focus on the topic on ground. We’re going to be looking more at health reasons why you should grow tomato and inculcate them into your diet rather than how.
Tomato is a very nutritious vegetable and as other vegetables are, its benefits are outstanding. Tomatoes exist in a variety of colours, though predominantly red, it’s other colors include yellow, orange, black, purple, green and brown...yes, shockingly so!
Coloured tomato seeds planted together and fully grown
It constitutes much of a variety of foods such as ketchup, pizzas, pasta, stews, soups, juices, ketchup, you name it. It is a widely used vegetable and its popular application is due to the fact that it can go along with almost any dish. It adds a wonderful flavour and an inviting colour when set on a plate.
Besides the aesthetic and taste-friendly nature of this vegetable, it also contains a large variety of minerals, vitamins and other compounds such as; vitamin c, k and b9(folate), potassium, lycopene, beta-carotene, naringenin, chlorogenic acid. Chlorophyll is the dominant compound that gives the tomato its green color prior to ripening. When ripening begins, chlorophyll content reduces and carotenoids are synthesized to give it the red color.
Health and Nutritional Benefits
1. Protects the Eyes
Light-induced damage, macular degeneration of the eyes due to age and the development of cataracts can all be avoided through the consumption of tomatoes because they contain a rich amount of lutein, beta-carotene and lycopene in other words, anti-oxidants that protect the eyes.
A study by AREDS showed a 35% reduction in the risk of neovascular macular degeneration of the eyes due to ageing.
2. Vitamin C
The uses of vitamin c in the body are too numerous to count. It is a powerful antioxidant that is necessary for growth, development and repair of all body tissues, It is involved in the formation of collagen, the immune system, healing of injuries, teeth and bone maintenance, absorption of iron, e.t.c. of which tomatoes are a rich source.
3. The Skin
As earlier mentioned, tomatoes contain vitamin c which is used by the body in the formation of collagen. Collagen is an important component of the human skin, connective tissue, hair and nails.
Skin treatment using raw tomato mixture
With the impact of the sun getting harsher by the day, air pollution on the rise due to industrial and vehicular discharge, our skin stands a greater risk of adverse health effects such as blemishes, sagging skin, wrinkles. The human skin has never been in more need of vitamin c.
4. Rich in potassium that helps the heart
Tomatoes contain potassium which reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, prevents the muscles in the body from deteriorating and reduces the formation of kidney stones which could lead to a damaged kidney.
5. Protects the body against cancers
The red color of tomatoes comes from the lycopene contained in it. This compound combats cancer formation in the human body. Beta-carotene, also a component in the human body protects it against prostrate cancer.In terms of plant compounds found in tomatoes, lycopene constitutes the highest
To avoid purchase of tasteless tomatoes, I strongly recommend that you purchase them locally or grow your own as tomatoes are often harvested on carried to shops while they are still immature and unripe then they are ripened with artificial ethylene gas rather than the hormonal ethylene gas produced naturally by the plant.
Some fun facts
• Medium sized tomatoes contain about 95% water, the remaining 5% constitutes mainly fiber and carbs (carbohydrates).
• It would interest you to note that two centuries ago, the United States thought that tomatoes was poisonous because it belongs to the toxic nightshade family.
Tomatoes like I said earlier can be inculcated into almost any meal and this crop if I may suggest to 
tomato in hot dog and potato fries
Tomatoes are always on demand in the market because of their all-round use. A farm that grows such a crop in large quantities will be able reach a whole lot of people. And who says in feeding the world, we have to deliver only raw foods? Tomato can be made into paste and ketchup, canned and distributed all over. This would definitely bring about a packaging centre for the
Small variety of tomato products
Thanks for viewing