Tomato: The Miracle Plant

The tomato is a plant belonging to the Solanaceae family. Tomatoes are made up of water and vital biological substances. They are low in calories and are considered an excellent nutritional type of food for people that wish to follow a weight-loss plan.
Its no surprise that tomatoes are also know as the 'miracle plant' because of the following advantages:

• Improves the natural immune system (high contents of Vitamin C & selenium)
• Helps fertility and assists in maintaining a balanced sex life (Vitamin E content)
• Helps the metabolic system to function smoothly and develops a strong neural system (vitamins from the vitamin B group)
• Prevention of certain types of cancer (selenium content)
• Improves the heart (potassium content)
• Overcome the symptoms of stress and muscular cramps (magnesium content)
• Helps shield lungs from bad air and cigarette smoke. prevents lung cancer.
• Anti-aging nourishment for the brain.
• Protects eyes from macular degeneration
• Reduces sun-induced skin damage

In addition to all this, tomatoes are excellent source of iron, copper, manganese and vitamins A and K.
Lycopene: Of all the nutrients contained in tomatoes, one of the most studied and important is lycopene. Lycopene is a carotinoid having antioxidant power approximately a hundred times greater than Vitamin E (which is one of the most powerful fat-soluble antioxidants).
Antioxidants greatly reduce the amount of DNA damage received by our cells (which is mainly the reason why we age over time) and they have been linked with better health, slower aging, and a certain degree of protection from cancer.

Tomatoes have also got anti inflammatory properties which help in reducing the risk of colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, and pancreatic cancer. Tomatoes are also very good source of dietary fiber, which has been shown to reduce bad cholesterol levels, regulate blood sugar levels and help prevent colon cancer.

A tomato-rich diet has beneficial effects to all those with a higher risk of thrombosis, people with high cholesterol, those who undergo surgical procedures, women who take oral contraceptives and those who smoke. Just make sure to choose a tomato juice with a low sodium (salt) content, since sodium has the effect of hardening vessel walls and increasing risk of blood clotting.

The protective effect of tomato juice is to be found in the powerful mix of antioxidants: a glass contains 5.7 mg of lycopene, 1 mg beta-carotene, 3.7 mg of phytoene, 2.7 mg of phytofluene, and 1.8 mg of the alpha-tocopherol fraction of vitamin E.
To get the greatest benefit

• Eat at least five weekly servings of tomato-based foods.
• Eat tomatoes cooked, processed and prepared with a little olive oil.
• Heating helps release lycopene, and you get the most lycopene in concentrated, processed products such as tomato paste and sauce, canned tomatoes, juice, soup and ketchup.
• Moreover, nutrition experts support that people should eat both raw and cooked tomatoes.

Note: People having stones in kidney should avoid tomatoes as they are rich in calcium.