The Amazing Health Benefits of Tomatoes

Tomatoes! They’re sweet, juicy, and delicious. Everyone knows they are good for you, right? Uh, yeah, sure. Does everyone know specifically why tomatoes are so healthy? They have vitamin C? They’re low in calories? They’re fat-free? Yes, yes, and yes, but that’s not all!
Let’s take a look at what makes the tomato particularly excellent!

1. Tomatoes 101: One serving of red, ripe, raw tomatoes (one cup or 150 grams) is a good source of Vitamins A, C, K, folate and potassium. Tomatoes are naturally low in sodium, saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories. Tomatoes also provide thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, magnesium, phosphorus and copper, all of which are necessary for good health.
On top of that, one serving of tomatoes gives you 2 grams of fiber, which is 7% of the daily recommended amount. Tomatoes also have a relatively high water content, which makes them a filling food. In general eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes, confers protection against high blood pressure, high cholesterol, strokes, and heart disease.
One tomato packs one powerful punch of nutrition, but there’s much more!

2. Healthy Skin: Tomatoes make your skin look great. Beta-carotene, also found in carrots and sweet potatoes, helps protect skin against sun damage. Tomatoes’ lycopene also makes skin less sensitive to UV light damage, a leading cause of fine lines and wrinkles.

3. Strong Bones: Tomatoes build strong bones.The vitamin K and calcium in tomatoes are both very good for strengthening and repairing bones.
Lycopene also has been shown to improve bone mass, which is a great way to fight osteoporosis.

4. Fight Cancer: Tomatoes are a natural cancer fighter. Lycopene (again!) can reduce the risk of several cancers, including prostate, cervical, mouth, pharynx, throat, esophagus, stomach, colon, rectal, prostate and ovarian cancer. Tomatoes’ antioxidants (vitamins A and C) fight the free radicals which can cause cell damage.

5. Blood Sugar: Tomatoes can keep your blood sugar in balance. Tomatoes are a very good source of chromium, which helps to regulate blood sugar.

6. Good Vision: Tomatoes can keep your blood sugar in balance. Tomatoes are a very good source of chromium, which helps to regulate blood sugar.

7. Healthy Hair: Tomatoes will even make your hair look better.The vitamin A found in tomatoes works to make hair strong and shiny. (Sorry, tomatoes cannot help much with thinning hair—but they will make the hair you have look better!)

8. Reduce Chronic Pain: Tomatoes can reduce chronic pain. If you are one of the millions of people who deal with mild to moderate chronic pain (such as from arthritis or back pain), tomatoes may be a pain-buster. Tomatoes are high in bioflavonoids and carotenoids, which are known anti-inflammatory agents.
Chronic pain often involves chronic inflammation, so attacking the inflammation is a good way to fight the chronic pain. (Many commercial drugs that fight pain are actually anti-inflammatory drugs.)

9. Help Lose Weight: Tomatoes can help you lose weight. If you are on a sensible diet and exercise plan, build lots of tomatoes into your everyday eating. They make a great snack and can be used to “bulk up” salads, casseroles, sandwiches and other meals. Because tomatoes contain lots of water and fiber, they are what Weight Watchers calls a “filling food,” one of those foods that fills you up fast without adding a lot of calories or fat.

Also, did you know the health benefits of tomatoes can be boosted by cooking?

The absorption of carotenoids and flavonoids from tomatoes is greater from cooked tomatoes than fresh tomatoes, since cooking breaks down the tomato cell matrix and makes the carotenoids more available.

Addition of olive oil to diced tomatoes during cooking greatly increases the absorption of lycopene. Oil is essential for absorbing carotenoids from tomatoes in salads or salsa. There is almost no absorption of these vital nutrients from salad eaten with a non-fat dressing. 

Here are some easy ways to eat tomatoes: 

· Add sliced tomatoes to sandwiches—from tuna to turkey
· Chop tomatoes in salad (leave them at room temperature, if possible)
· Use marinara or tomato sauces (canned, cooked, or homemade) on pasta; this can be big calorie savings when you swap out creamy sauces for tomato-based sauces
· Drink tomato juice or vegetable juice with tomatoes
· Tomatoes for breakfast? Top scrambled eggs with coarsely chopped tomatoes or add them to a breakfast taco
· Eat tomatoes as a mid-afternoon snack (my father used to eat them like an apple—but you can use a knife and fork)
· Make a tomato sandwich—this is a sandwich that stars the tomato. The classic dressing for this sandwich is mayonnaise, but I know some people who like tomatoes and mustard
· Add canned or stewed tomatoes to soups and stews, like vegetable soup or beef stew
· Serve stewed tomatoes over a baked potato (also great on mashed potatoes)
· Make your own salsa with lots of fresh tomato—salsa is a great replacement for high-fat salad dressings as well as being tasty on meats, fish, and eggs

Sources: BeliefNet.Com, The Huffington Post

Here is an excellent article on why tomatoes are one of the world's healthiest foods:

Tomatoes: One of the World's Healthiest Foods

Plant Foods Rich in Calcium

Calcium is a major material used by the body for mineralization of bones and teeth. It is also used in many different cellular processes such as nerve and muscle function and blood clotting. When dietary calcium is too low, calcium is leaked from the bones, and is instead used for functions required for survival. This, in turn, makes our bones weak and brittle.

The first thing most people think of when they hear calcium is “milk.” This is mainly because the American dairy industry heavily promotes the consumption of milk as a human’s sole source of calcium. What they often fail to let people know is that there are many other excellent sources of calcium. From where you ask? Well, plant foods of course! Calcium from plant foods are well-absorbed by the body, and can range anywhere from celery to more higher-containing calcium foods like chia seeds and broccoli.

The recommended daily calcium intake for adults aged 19-50 years and men 51-70 years is 1000 mg per day, whereas that for women over 51 years and men over 7o is 1200 mg per day. Research suggests that diets containing these calcium amounts, or more, can help reduce the risk of fractures and osteoporosis as people age.

Diet’s high in protein, particularly animal protein, result in higher calcium loss in urine, which may be directly correlated to increased fracture risk. Eating a lower protein diet, rich in fruit and vegetables, will ensure your body is absorbing the minerals and vitamins from your food, instead of having these minerals stripped from your bones to be used or excreted elsewhere.

Below is a list of plant foods (including but not limited to many others), that contain ample amounts of calcium:

1. Chia seeds (2 ounces = 600 mg)

2. Sesame seeds (1 tbsp = 90 mg)

3. Kohlrabi (1 cup = 390 mg)

4. Almonds (1/4 cup = 94 mg)

5. Collards (1 cup = 357 mg)

6. Spinach (1 cup = 250 mg)

7. Turnip greens (1 cup = 249 mg)

8. Brazil nuts (1/4 cup = 55 mg)

9. Kale (1 cup = 179 mg)

10. Broccoli (1 cup = 178 mg)

11. Bok choy (1 cup = 158 mg)

12. Okra (1 cup = 135mg)

13.  Pumpkin seeds (55 mg per 100 grams)

14. Butternut squash (1 cup = 84 mg)

15. Green Beans (1 cup = 58 mg)

16. Mulberries (1 cup = 55 mg)

17. Celery (1 cup = 54 mg)

18. Cabbage (1 cup = 50 mg)

19. Artichoke (1 artichoke = 40 mg)

20. Gooseberries (1 cup = 38 mg)

21. Onions (1 cup = 36 mg)

22. Brussels sprouts (1 cup = 36 mg)

23. Asparagus (1 cup = 28 mg)

24. Avocado (1 avocado = 18 mg calcium)

25. Coconut meat (1 cup = 11 mg)

Click the above image for a larger print-out version of plant foods high in calcium!

Sources:  Live Love Fruit

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Kerstetter JE, O’Brien KO, Caseria DM, et al. The impact of dietary protein on calcium absorption and kinetic measures of bone turnover in women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2005;90:26-31.

IOM (Institute of Medicine). Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2011.

Weaver CM, Plawecki KL. Dietary calcium: adequacy of a vegetarian diet. Am J Clin Nutr 1994;59 (suppl):1238S-1241S.

Feskanich D, Willett WC, Colditz GA. Calcium, vitamin D, milk consumption, and hip fractures: a prospective study among postmenopausal women. Am J Clin Nutr 2003;77:504-11.