Tomatoes: It’s Nutritional Value and Health Benefits

Fruits and vegetables are recommended as a part of healthy nutrition, but some people see this recommendation as a complicated lifestyle modification. They typically think about complex vegan recipes and time-consuming preparation. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Tomato is not a vegetable; it is one of the most common fruits. It is cheap, easy to find in any supermarket, and ready to consume with minimal preparation time. But most of us underestimate tomatoes believing that they are not enough to increase fruit intake levels.

After reading this piece, you will reconsider this view and learn that tomato is an excellent way to start consuming more fruits and vegetables. It joins the flavonoid contents of fruits and the low-carb features of vegetables in a nutrient-packed keto delight.

Tomatoes. A rich source of nutrients?

According to the US Department of Agriculture, tomatoes have an impressive 94% water content. If that is true, what is left for nutrients?

The USDA responds that 100 grams of tomatoes have:

– 84 grams of carbohydrates

– 7 grams of protein

– 42 grams of total fat

You also get 1 gram of total dietary fiber as long as you don’t peel off the skin. This makes up around 20 kcal for 100 grams, turning tomatoes into an excellent choice for a low-calorie or weight-loss diet.

But the most remarkable aspect of tomato nutrition is the high content of micronutrients. Daily tomato consumption will provide your share of these vitamins and minerals:

– Vitamin C: In one cup of sliced tomatoes, you get around 33% of the daily recommendation of vitamin C. This excellent nutrient density contributes to your immune system, skin health, and serotonin production in the brain.

– Biotin (vitamin B7): Tomatoes count as one of the top foods to get your daily biotin. One cup has 24% of this nutrient, which is helpful to balance sugar levels and keep our skin moist and healthy.

– Molybdenum: This trace mineral is primarily found in beans, but tomatoes also have a significant level (around 20% of the daily recommendation). Molybdenum is a cofactor necessary for many enzymes, including aldehyde dehydrogenase and aldehyde oxidase. The former is essential for nervous system metabolism, and the latter is required for liver detoxification.

– Vitamin K: Brussels sprouts and greens have more vitamin K, but you get 16% of the daily recommendation in a cup of tomatoes. This vitamin is vital to support blood clotting function. Additionally, it favors bone health and mineralization.

– Potassium: Tomatoes are easy and cheap sources of dietary potassium. They have 193 mg of this mineral for every 100 grams, and one cup of chopped tomatoes will give you 9% of your daily requirement. This nutrient is essential to maintain healthy blood pressure levels and has a significant role in kidney health.

– Vitamin B9 (folate): Among other nutrients, you also get a significant proportion of folate in one cup of tomatoes. This is a part of B complex vitamins, and it is vital to facilitate cell growth. Pregnant women need this nutrient to prevent neurologic problems in their babies.

Antioxidants and other phytonutrients

Besides macronutrients and micronutrients, tomatoes offer many other healthy substances. They serve as antioxidants and protect plants from environmental threats. You could say that these substances make up the immune system of plants. That’s why they are called phytonutrients.

Phytonutrients are part of a plant’s metabolism, but we can experience similar benefits as humans after absorbing them. They protect our cells from free radical damage and have additional functions in different parts of the body.

In tomatoes, we can find these compounds:

– Lycopene: This is probably the most critical phytonutrient in tomatoes. It is a type of beta-carotene and a potent antioxidant, with a plethora of health effects. For example, lycopene has been recently found beneficial for anyone who wants to prevent aggressive prostate cancer. Tomatoes are one of the richest sources of lycopene, with varying concentrations depending on the species and the soil where the plant grows.

– Naringenin: This substance is one of the reasons why you shouldn’t peel off the skin before eating tomatoes. It is a flavanone with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity and protects the liver from toxic damage. Additionally, this substance has been found to enhance the activity of natural killer cells, an essential lymphocyte of innate immunity.

– Chlorogenic acid: This is another antioxidant substance in tomatoes. But besides countering the effects of free radicals, it also lowers blood pressure levels. Altogether, the potassium, chlorogenic acid, and dietary fiber in tomatoes may significantly decrease blood pressure levels in people suffering from hypertension .

Health benefits of tomatoes

After reading about the nutrients and plant components found in tomatoes, it is easier to understand why this fruit is essential for daily nutrition.

In an article published in the journal Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, lead researcher Viuda-Martos and collaborators reviewed the flavonoids in tomatoes and their health benefits.

Among the top health benefits listed in this article, we can find the following:

1) Benefits for cardiovascular health

As noted above, tomatoes have at least three substances that lower blood pressure. They are dietary fiber, chlorogenic acid, and potassium. Chlorogenic acid also has anti-obesity properties, and tomatoes can be included in a successful weight-loss diet. By contributing to a healthy weight, a diet with tomatoes and other vegetables will be helpful to maintain blood pressure in check.

Additionally, the lycopene content in tomatoes protects the blood vessels against atherosclerosis. In the process of fat plaque formation, free radicals contribute to the mechanism by oxidizing LDL particles. But lycopene inhibits the formation of reactive oxygen species, one of the most aggressive free radicals. The level of oxidized LDL reduces, and atherosclerotic plaques stop growing.

Finally, tomato powder and supplementation with tomato lycopene reduce fat blood levels. Studies show a reduction of LDL cholesterol by 14%, which is comparable to the effect of a low dose of statins.

2) Cancer prevention

Tomatoes can be a part of cancer nutrition and prevention. In general, increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables increases the survival rate in various cancers. Lycopene in tomatoes decreases the risk of cancer, and the antioxidant properties of this substance can explain the inverse relationship. Additionally, tomatoes improve antitumor response levels and reduce cell mutagenesis.

One of the main mechanisms of cancer prevention is through inhibition of cell proliferation. Lycopene modulates the activity of proteins required to activate cell division. By slowing down cell division in highly-dividing tissues such as the colon, lycopene reduces the speed of cancer growth. An additional mechanism is an increase in cellular adhesion. Cells are more tightly joined to one another, which reduces the chance of metastasis.

For all of the above, tomato consumption is highly recommended in patients with a high risk of prostate cancer. In this group, processed and cooked tomatoes are more effective than raw tomatoes to increase the chance of survival and prevent aggressive prostate cancer.

3) Improvements in insulin metabolism and type 2 diabetes

Chlorogenic acid in tomatoes has anti-obesity properties. It prevents fat absorption and modulates enzymes involved in lipid metabolism. It also contributes to glucose metabolism and helps type 2 diabetes patients control their glucose levels.

On the other hand, lycopene also improves glucose metabolism. There’s an inverse association between beta-carotene intake and fasting glucose levels. Insulin resistance improves as well, and this happens in type 2 diabetes patients and those with pre-diabetes.

Altogether, tomato consumption is an excellent ally to maintain healthy levels of blood glucose. It features very low carbohydrate levels, it is a source of dietary fiber and has a variety of flavonoids that contribute to the task. Indeed, it should be accompanied by other healthy foods for better results.

4) Bone health benefits

We usually think about dairy as the ultimate source of bone health benefits. However, consuming tomatoes also contributes to bone mineralization and may reduce the incidence of fractures. Tomatoes are not a rich source of calcium (there is only 3% of the daily recommendation in one cup of sliced tomatoes), but they have vitamin K, which prevents bone breakdown and favors mineralization.

Moreover, lycopene has been found to reduce fracture risk and protect seniors from osteoporosis. The bone tissue is constantly renewing itself through bone-forming cells and bone-degrading cells. Tomato flavonoids reduce bone resorption and leave bone-forming cells intact. The net result will be bone strengthening and a reduction in bone fracture risk.

Final words

As noted, tomatoes hold significant benefits for our health. But one of the best aspects of this food is how easy it is to find them and prepare them in various dishes. It is one of the cheapest fruits available and has the low-carb feature found in vegetables.

In a nutshell, tomatoes are a versatile food choice, rich in micronutrients and flavonoids, that should never leave your grocery list.