10 Healthy Reasons to Eat Tomatoes & a Roasted Tomato Soup You Can Try

Related Articles

You all know how healthy tomatoes are and everyone knows they are good for you, right? But do you know why tomatoes are a healthful food? Yes they are rich in vitamin C and are low in calories. But that’s not all!

Tomatoes are filled with many health benefits. Aside from that it is an incredibly versatile food, that can be prepared in an endless number of dishes, as well as being perfect to eat alone.

Keep on reading to find out why you need to make tomatoes a part of your regular balanced diet.

10 Healthy Reasons to Eat Tomatoes & a Roasted Tomato Soup You Can Try

1. Balance Blood Sugar Level

Tomatoes help keep your blood sugar in balance. This is because tomatoes are a good source of chromium, that helps in regulating blood sugar.

2. Good for Your Kidneys

Reguylar consumption of tomatoes without seeds into your diet has been proven in to help reduce the risk of kidney stones.

3. Good for Your Hair

The vitamin A present in tomatoes help in keeping your hair strong and shiny. It also provides some benefits for your skin, eyes, bones and teeth.

4. Good for Your Heart

Tomatoes are rich in potassium and vitamin B, which are very effective in lowering blood pressure and reducing cholesterol levels. If you include tomatoes in your regular diet, it can help prevent strokes, heart attacks, as well as many other heart related problems.

5. Helps Improve Vision

Tomatoes can help improve your vision, this is because of the vitamin A that it contains. Research have shown that consumption of tomatoes may help reduce the risk of macular degeneration, an irreversible eye condition.

6. Helps Prevent Various Types of Cancer

Studies have proven that the high levels of lycopene in tomatoes works to reduce your chances of developing colorectal, prostate and stomach cancer.

Lycopene is a known as a natural antioxidant that works well to slow the growth of cancerous cells. Cooked tomatoes produce even more lycopene, so you can go ahead and try the roasted tomato soup recipe below.

7. Helps Repair Damage Caused by Smoking

Tomatoes contain chlorogenic and coumaric acid that work to protect the body from carcinogens that are produced from cigarette smoke. It helps reduce the amount of damaged done to your body through smoking cigarettes.

See also  This Vitamin Can Help You Get Strong Nails and Hair

8. Promotes Healthy Skin

Tomatoes helps make your skin healthy and to look great. This is because of the beta-carotene found in tomatoes which helps protect skin against sun damage. Lycopene which is also present in tomatoes makes skin less sensitive to UV light damage, a leading cause of fine lines and wrinkles.

9. Promotes Strong Bones

Tomatoes help build strong bones. The calcium and vitamin K in tomatoes are both perfect for repairing and strengthening bones.

Lycopene is also known to improve bone mass, which is perfect in fighting osteoporosis.

10. Provide Important Antioxidants

Tomatoes are loaded with vitamins A and C. These vitamins and beta-carotene work as antioxidants, that help to neutralize harmful free radicals in the blood.

Just remember, the redder the tomato you eat, the more beta-carotene it contains. Also keep in mind that cooking destroys the Vitamin C, so for these benefits, you need to eat the tomatoes raw.

Roasted Tomato Soup Recipe

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

15 fresh basil leaves
3 ½ lb. ripe tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, halved
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Then spray a large rimmed baking sheet using a nonstick cooking spray.
3. Place the onion, tomatoes and garlic on the prepared pan.
4. Drizzle with thyme, olive oil, ½ teaspoon pepper and salt.
5. Then shake the pan back and forth for a few times to coat the vegetables with the seasonings and oil.
6. Bake for about 25 minutes or until tender.
7. Once cooled, blend the roasted tomatoes, with the basil and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, in batches if necessary.
8. Transfer to a saucepan and heat if desired or refrigerate to chill.

Nutrition per serving (1 cup):
Calories: 135
Fat: 10 g
Sodium: 208 mg
Carbohydrates: 12 g
Dietary fiber: 4 g
Sugars: 7 g
Protein: 3 g

More on this topic

Comments

Popular stories