Top 23 Health Benefits Of Tomatoes That You Should Know

By Lucy Alvet

There are more reasons to eat tomatoes than good taste. Tomatoes are packed with health-enhancing properties. Actually, consuming tomatoes can help improve your overall health. Besides, they can be prepared in a variety of dishes, as well as they can be eaten alone. Now, keep both of your eyes on this interesting article to discover some of the main reasons why you need to include more of these superfoods in your daily diet.

Top Health Benefits Of Tomatoes:

Tomatoes are the great source of the powerful antioxidant called lycopene, which has been associated with many health benefits. Besides, they are also rich in vitamins A, C, K, and minerals like potassium, calcium and folate. Tomatoes are often red when mature, but they can also have other colors like orange, yellow, green and purple. There are lots of subspecies of tomatoes, with different flavor and shapes.

Lycopene, which is also found in other yellow, red, and orange vegetables, is a valuable alternative that is capable of widening blood vessels by more than 50 percent according to research.

Here are some of the best health benefits of tomatoes that you should know and then consider including more tomatoes in your diet plan.

1. Prevent Some Types Of Cancer
Some studies have been shown that the high content of lycopene in tomatoes can help reduce your risks of developing colorectal, prostate and stomach cancer. Lycopene is known as a natural antioxidant, which works to slow cancerous cells growth. Just remember that cooked tomatoes contain more lycopene than fresh tomatoes, so why you do not cook up your tomato soup this dinner?

2. Provide Powerful Antioxidants
Tomatoes are very rich in vitamins A and C, both of which work as natural antioxidants to reduce the effects of harmful free radicals in your blood. According to recent studies, free radicals in the blood can lead to cell damage. Just remember that cooking destroys vitamin C, so if you want to neutralize the free radicals, you should eat raw tomatoes.

3. Provide Essential Vitamins And Minerals
A single tomato can offer about 40% of your daily requirement of vitamin C. Besides, tomatoes also contain high contents of vitamin A, potassium and iron. Iron plays a vital role in keeping blood circulation normal while potassium is important for maintaining nerve health. Moreover, vitamin K, which is important for controlling bleeding and blood clotting, is also found in tomatoes.

4. Improve The Vision
As we mentioned above, tomatoes are packed with vitamin A, which is very good for the eyes. Besides, consuming tomatoes is known as one of the natural ways to prevent night blindness as well as macular degeneration in both children and adults. Lots of vision issues occur because of the negative effects of harmful free radicals and by consuming tomatoes, you can prevent these vision problems and simultaneously improve your vision.

5. Maintain Strong Bones
If you want to know health benefits of tomatoes, you should not skip that they can help maintain strong bones. Tomatoes also contain high contents of Vitamin K and calcium. We all know that both nutrients are important for strengthening the bones and healing the bone tissues.

6. Improve Skin Health
We all know that tomatoes are rich in lycopene, which is used in many pricey facial cleansers available on the market. If you want to include tomatoes in your skincare routine, you just need to peel about 8-12 tomatoes and then place the inside of these tomatoes onto your facial skin. Leave them on for at least 10 minutes before leaving them and washing. And then you will notice that your facial skin will feel clean and shiny. In some cases, people with sensitive skin can experience some redness, but they will fade with time.

7. Reduce Blood Pressure
Cardiovascular disease is known as the most common cause of death. Due to the appearance of potassium and vitamin B in tomatoes, they help in reducing blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Besides, tomato products have also found to fight against inflammation and oxidative stress. Also, they have a protective effect on the blood vessels and may reduce the risk of developing blood clotting. Therefore, by consuming more tomatoes in your daily diet, you will be able to prevent strokes, heart attacks and other heart-related diseases.

8. Reduce The Risk Of Kidney Stones
According to some studies, consuming tomatoes without seeds has been found to reduce the risk of developing kidney stones.

9. Repair Damage Caused By Smoking
It sounds strange when it comes to learning health benefits of tomato, but they can help repair damage caused by smoking cigarettes. This is because tomatoes contain chlorogenic acid and coumaric acid, both of which work to protect the body from harmful chemicals produced from cigarette smoke.

10. Keep The Hair Strong And Shiny
Keeping the hair strong is worth mentioning in this list of health benefits of tomatoes. The vitamin A found in tomatoes can help keep your hair strong and shiny. Actually, tomatoes work as a natural conditioner. You just need to apply some tomato oil on your hair. This oil will work as a leave-in conditioner that keeps the hair shiny, healthy and frizz free.

11. Help Fight Hair Loss
Tomatoes are known as a wonderful treatment for hair loss. Simply, apply the tomato juice along with its pulp to your hair. Let it sit on for 20 minutes before rinsing it off as usual. Repeat this remedy 3 times a week.

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12. Treat Itchy Scalp And Dandruff
Tomatoes are very effective in treating itchy scalp and dandruff thanks to their high content of vitamin C. You just need to take the thick pulp from 2-3 ripe tomatoes. Add 2 tbsp. of lemon juice to the tomato and then mix them well to create a smooth paste. After that, apply this pack on the scalp and wait for 30 minutes. Finally, wash it off with clean water and let it dry naturally.

13. Help With Digestion
Tomatoes can help keep your digestive system healthy by preventing diarrhea and constipation. They also help prevent jaundice and simultaneously remove toxins from your body. Besides, tomatoes are rich in fiber, which can help stimulate peristaltic motion in your digestive muscles and simultaneously release digestive juices. By regulating the bowel movements, tomatoes can help improve your digestive health and reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer.

14. Manage Diabetes
A study shows that daily intake of tomatoes can help reduce the oxidative stress in those who are suffering from type 2 diabetes. Besides, according to a new research, lycopene in tomatoes can help balance biochemical responses in diabetics.

15. Prevent Gallstones
Regular intake of tomatoes can offer you a relief from gallstones. Many studies have shown that tomatoes contain powerful properties that can fight against many chronic diseases. Daily intake of tomatoes provides your body with essential vitamins and minerals and hence, having a protective effect on your body.

16. Prevent Urinary Tract Infections
The intake of tomato can help reduce the risk of developing bladder cancer and urinary tract infections. The reason for that may be that tomatoes have high content of water, so they can stimulate urination, as well as remove the toxins, excess water, salts and some fats from the body.

17. Enhance Flavor Naturally
Tomatoes can help enhance the flavor of most cooked dishes. Chopped tomatoes, whole tomatoes and tomato sauce work well for cooked dishes. Also, cooking tomatoes make the fruit healthier and stimulates its cancer-fighting ability. Although during the cooking process, a large amount of vitamin C loses, it can increase the levels of phytochemicals that are beneficial for health. Research shows that the process of heating can actually enhance the tomato’s nutritional value by increasing the content of lycopene.

18. Reduce Dangers Of Statin Drugs
When it comes to learning health benefits of tomatoes, you should not skip that tomatoes can help reduce the dangers of statin drugs. Recent studies show that about 2 ounces of tomato paste daily could be enough to reduce dangers of dangerous statins, which can result in heart problems.

19. Improve Immune System
The daily intake of tomatoes can help increase the levels of vitamin C in the blood. This may inhibit the stress hormone levels and simultaneously improve the immune system. As a result, you should consider drinking tomato juice in order to help reduce tension and stress.

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20. Increase Fat Burning Capacity
Consuming tomatoes can increase the levels of the amino acid called carnitine that has been found to stimulate the fat-burning capacity of the body by over 30%. Actually, this is known as one of the best health benefits of tomatoes that you should not look down.

21. Reduce Blood Clot Risks
Tomato juice has been found to help reduce the risk of developing blood clots. The excessive buildup of platelet cells can lead to blood problems in terms of blockage and clotting. Therefore, preventing this excessive clumping is very essential for keeping the heart healthy. The high levels of phytonutrients found in tomatoes can help prevent blood clotting.

22. Prevent Acidosis
According to a study, the human body tries to maintain a pH of 7.365. Nonetheless, irregular food patterns, our diet and no exercise make our levels of acid higher. This can lead to acidosis, reflux and congestion. Basically, you can maintain the body’s pH balance by taking calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium. And, tomato flesh and seeds are rich in these essential minerals. Plus, tomato seeds help maintain the normal pH balance, hence preventing acidosis.

23. Prevent Sunburn
According to a research, people who ate 5 tbsp. of tomato paste daily for about 3 months had ability to fight against sunburn. Besides, sunburnt skin can also be relieved by applying tomato directly on the affected skin areas. To prevent sunburn with the help of tomatoes, you can try making a pack by combining 2 tsp. of tomato pulp with 1 tsp. of plain yogurt. Then, apply this mixture on your neck, face, hands, and feet. Tomatoes can cool the skin while plain yogurt can make the skin supple and soft.

Tomatoes are sweet and juicy, full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, so they may be effective in fighting several diseases. Therefore, you should include this vegetable in your daily diet plan such as sauces, dishes, pickles, purees, etc.

After reading this article, we hope that you can know more about health benefits of tomatoes and then include these tomatoes in your daily diet plan. If you have any concerns about this list or know other benefits of tomatoes for health, feel free to leave your comments below.

Lucy Alvet writes for Prevent Disease where this article first appeared.

Image credit: Pixabay