Tomato is one of the popular vegetables in our daily life since it can be cooked as vegetable and also taken as fruit. Many foreign studies have shown that tomato is rich in vitamin, lycopene, carotene, folic acid and micronutrients and hence it can prevent cancer.
Lower the risk of multiple types of cancer
As cancerogen is classified into different categories, the anti-cancer effect of food also falls into different categories. According to the epidemiological studies and other relevant evidence, the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research classified the food that can reduce the risk of cancer into four levels: "adequate," "very likely", "limited" and "impossible". Tomatoes can be classified into the second level. There is evidence showing that some of the chemical ingredients contained in tomato can protect the body from carcinogens damage. Studies have shown that tomatoes contain the following anti-cancer substances:
Lycopene can prevent prostate cancer. Tomato is rich in lycopene, which has been found to be one of the strongest antioxidants in plants. According to a research of Harvard University, the risk of developing prostate cancer among people who have 10 portions of tomato or tomato products per week is 45% lower than those who have less than 2 portions of tomato products per week. Lycopene can be found in tomato, watermelon, citrus and etc. However, lycopene can only be well absorbed when cooked. Tomato remains the main source of lycopene considering of its high level of lycopene.
Vitamin C can prevent digestive system cancer. With antioxidant and anti-cancer effect, vitamin C can prevent nitrate from changing into cancerogen nitrosamine in the digestive system, keep the structure of cellular matrix intact and prevent the development of digestive system carcinoma, such as esophagus cancer and gastric cancer. A Zhejiang University study finds that reasonable intake of vitamin C can prevent gastric cancer.
Carotene can prevent oral cancer. Tomato contains abundant carotene. According to an epidemiological investigation of the International Journal of Oral Medicine, carotene plays a potential role in preventing oral cancer based on animal experiments and preliminary clinical trial results.
Vitamin B6 can prevent bladder cancer. Tomato is one of the main sources of vitamin B6. According to researches, vitamin B6 can inhibit the generation of cancer cells to some extent and help synthesize some important enzymes in human body, which will further adjust the metabolic system.
In addition to the above-mentioned anti-cancer effect, German researchers have found that the risk of developing heart disease among males who has few lycopene intake is two times higher than that those who have more lycopene intake; tomato is very good for office worker since it is rich in lutein that can protect the eyes and also prevent the occurrence of age-related macular degeneration; a study in the United States found that eating foods rich in potassium, such as tomatoes, bananas, etc., can accelerate the discharge of sodium in the blood and lower blood pressure.
Tomato and egg soup could preserve the nutrition to the greatest extent
Tomato is a very popular food in China. When you cook with a different method, you get a different taste. That's it. But that's not necessarily it. There are various health benefits from different cooking methods. What we are looking for is how to ensure the taste while preserving its anti-effect nutrition to the maximum. Here is a nutrition ranking list on the cooking method of tomato.
1. Tomato and egg soup. Lycopene, essentially a lipid-soluble vitamin, shares the same nature with carotene and plays its health benefits to the full after being heated and cooked. However, it is very easily decomposable when exposed to light and heat; hence tomato is not suitable for long-time cooking. Short cooking time of tomato and egg soup can maximize the preservation of lycopene and avoid the loss of microelements.
2. Scrambled eggs with tomatoes. Scrambled eggs with tomatoes is dubbed as the “national dish” as it is a very popular dish in Chinese family. Compared with tomato soup with eggs, the cooking method of scrambled egg with tomatoes cannot bring the health benefits of tomatoes to its full as a part of lycopene will be lost during the heating process. Hence, the eggs can be fried first and then the tomato so as to reduce the heating time of tomato.
3. Stir-fried tomato with broccoli. A study of the University of Illinois found that broccoli contains such natural antioxidants as flavonoid and anthocyanin, which can inhibit the generation of cancer cells. A combination of tomato and broccoli not only doubles the nutritional value but also the taste. Broccoli can be scalded so it can be cooked easily.
4. Stewed brisket with tomato. Beef is rich in heme iron that can be absorbed by the body easily and increase the oxygen content of blood. With crude fiber, beef cannot be absorbed easily while tomato can stimulate peristalsis. The cooking method of stewing might cause the loss of some vitamins. Therefore, you are kindly advised to stew the brisket first and put in the tomato five minutes before serving.
5. Tomato slices with sugar. Cold salad could minimize the loss of vitamin C but compromise the absorbing effect of lycopene. At the same time, the dish also increases sugar intake. You may also take tomato juice, which lower the energy and reduce the nutritive losses.
Potato skin is rich in lycopene and dietary fiber. You are advised to cook tomatoes with skin if it’s cleaned up. Moreover, you are advised to eat less such processed foods such as tomato sauce as they are high in sodium content.
Three ways to recognize forced ripening tomatoes
At present, there are overmatured tomatoes on the market while there are also some green ones also. People are afraid of getting the forced ripening potatoes as such tomatoes contain tomatidine which has interference effect on the central nervous system. In comparison, naturally mature tomatoes contain low level and even no tomatidine. Therefore, you are kindly advised to pay attention to the following three aspects when picking tomatoes.
Firstly, the color. Naturally matured tomatoes are red with white spots in the skin. However, the forced ripening tomatoes are red all over. In general conditions, the redder the skin is, the higher lycopene content is. According to statistics, every 100 mg of yellow tomatoes contain only 0.3 mg while the figure is up to 2-3 mg and even 20 mg in red tomatoes. Moreover, tomatoes released in summer contain higher level of lycopene than that are released in winter as the light exposure in summer is longer.
Secondly, the shape. Naturally matured tomatoes are mellow and full in shape while forced ripening tomatoes are not mellow and full enough and even have odd shapes. Moreover, tomatoes with blue spots or yellow spots in the skin are also not preferred.
Thirdly, the matured tomatoes are soft.