Tomatoesare a very ordinary food, yet they play a pivotal role in treating diseases and other aspects. Tomatoes are extremely nutritious, and eating them regularly will bring you many unexpected benefits. Of course, no matter how good something is, there are always dietary matters to keep in mind, and we also need to understand the contraindications of eating tomatoes.Tomatoesare no less nutritious than leafy green vegetables. They are rich in beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium, pectin, lycopene and more. Among these, lycopene is especially noteworthy.

Lycopeneis a carotenoid that is red in colour. Lycopene has an extremely strongantioxidant capacityand can clearfree radicalsfrom the body. Some studies say its free-radical-scavenging effect is 2 times that of beta-carotene and 100 times that of vitamin E. In addition, lycopene can also block the formation of nitrosamines, showing a certainanti-cancer effect。

It is generally recommended that thelycopeneintake per person per day should be 5-10 mg, while the content in every 100 grams of tomatoes is 3-8 mg, so eating 1-2 tomatoes a day can meet the requirement.Tomato productssuch as tomato paste, tomato juice, tomato sauce and tomato powder also contain quite a lot of lycopene. Besides tomatoes, watermelon, carrots, grapes, red grapefruit, strawberries, citrus and others also contain lycopene, but their content is not as high as that of tomatoes.

Benefits of eating tomatoes

1. Anti-cancer, antioxidant, clearing free radicals from the body: because they are rich in lycopene, and lycopene has this function

2. Good anti-thrombotic effect, can prevent coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction and other diseases, and protect the heart

3. Lycopene has strong antioxidant properties and can prevent oxygen free radicals from damaging myocardial cells, thereby preventing cholesterol in the blood from turning into lipid metabolites that adhere to artery walls, which would narrow blood vessels, block blood flow and cause heart disease.

Points to note when eating tomatoes

1. It is not advisable to eat them together with cucumber. Cucumber contains a vitamin C decomposing enzyme that destroys the vitamin C in other vegetables. Tomatoes are rich in vitamin C, so if the two are eaten together, the nutritional supplement effect will not be achieved.

2. It is not advisable to eat tomatoes while taking anticoagulant drugs such as heparin and dicoumarol. Tomatoes contain more vitamin K, and vitamin K mainly catalyses the synthesis of prothrombin activator in the liver. When vitamin K is insufficient, clotting time is prolonged, causing subcutaneous and muscular bleeding.

3. It is not advisable to eat them on an empty stomach. Tomatoes contain a large amount of soluble astringent components and other ingredients, which react with gastric acid and coagulate into insoluble lumps, easily causing gastrointestinal fullness, pain and other uncomfortable symptoms.

4. It is not advisable to eat unripe tomatoes. Green tomatoes contain the alkaloid glycoside solanine, and after eating them you may feel bitterness in the mouth in mild cases, or even experience poisoning in severe cases.

5. It is not advisable to eat them after long heating during cooking. After long heating during cooking, they lose their original nutrition and flavour.

6. It is not advisable to eat large amounts of tomatoes on an empty stomach. On an empty stomach, gastric acid secretion increases, causing stomach discomfort and bloating pain.