The tomato plant ‘Solanum
lycopersicum’ is native to South America, but
has been cultivated in Europe for hundreds of
years. Tomatoes belong to the nightshade family of plants and while actually
classified as a fruit it tends to take the use of a vegetable when used for
culinary purposes.
- Healthy bones – Tomatoes are great sources of Vitamin K that can help to keep our veins and arteries flexible. Vitamin K deficiency is very common in
Europe and the
- Lower blood pressure –
Due to high levels of potassium citrate
tomatoes have the ability to greatly reduce blood pressure with studies
show that just one cup of tomatoes can lower blood pressure by up to 11.7%
- Lower your
cholesterol using tomatoes – You may well have
heard about LDL bad cholesterol, well tomatoes contain a substance known
as lycopene that actively reduces LDL whilst promoting the production of
good cholesterol.
- Eye health – The high levels of antioxidants found in tomatoes help to protect
our eyes from excess light damage, not only this, but tomatoes a packed full
of vitamins and trace minerals that are essential for our eyes to function
properly.
What
is Lycopene?
Lycopene is the name of the substance responsible
for the deep red colour of many fruits and vegetables. Its powerful antioxidant
compound helps us to gain strength and even strengths our cell membranes.
Other great sources of lycopene:
- Pink Grapefruits
- Pink Guava
- Watermelon
- Papaya
- Rosehips
Tips
for Best Tomato Taste
When purchasing tomatoes there a few things
you want to look out for. Tomatoes should be firm to the touch and not have any
wrinkles. Tomatoes come in a variety of colours ranging from deep red to
yellow, when looking for lycopene its best to go for the ones darkest in
colour.
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