Tomato

Tomato (tomato) – a perennial or annual herbaceous plant from family of a nightshade family.

Thanks to low caloric content tomato is often included in structure of diets if, of course, there are no contraindications. As a part of a tomato there is a large amount of minerals and vitamins therefore they are excellent assistants in fight against extra kilos. And salts of potassium reduce ability to hold water body tissues.

History

Tropics of South America, to be exact – Ecuador are considered as the homeland of a tomato. There this vegetable culture represents perennial eternally green plant. And vegetable received the name from Indians who called it "помидорль" in due time. French called it pomme d'amoure that in transfer means "love apple".

Tomato got to Europe soon after discovery of America and in the beginning was used only as an adornment plant, and its fruits were considered not only inedible, but also poisonous. Decorated with a plant beds and window sills, verandahs, arbors, and England and Russia grew up it in greenhouses on an equal basis with rare flowers. Even in dictionaries of that time the tomato appeared as a noxious plant. Some ill-wishers even tried to poison with this vegetable the enemy. Naturally, this action did not bring success as now it is known that at a plant stalks, but not fruits are poisonous.

At the very beginning of the 19th century in Russia the plant began to be grown up as vegetable culture. There was it thanks to the scientist-agronomist Bolotov Andrey Timofeyevich. And it happened, as to this day tomatoes are in Russia one of the most popular vegetables.

Structure and caloric content of tomatoes

100 g of tomato contain 0,7 g of proteins, 0,35 g of fats, 0,98 g of cellulose, 4,32 g of carbohydrates, 93,6 g of water, 0,45 g of organic acids, 3,45 g mono - and disaccharides, 0,35 g of starch, 0,75 g of ashes. The advantage of tomatoes consists in rich vitamin structure: PP, A, B1, B2, B5, B6, B9, C, E, N, K. V a tomato contain the following microelements: manganese, fluorine, chrome, selenium, copper, iodine, iron, zinc, cobalt, rubidium, nickel, boron, molybdenum; macrocells: magnesium, calcium, sulfur, chlorine, phosphorus, sodium.

Tomato caloric content low also makes 20 kcal on 100 g of a product.

Advantage of tomatoes

Initially the tomato was considered not only not a useful vegetable, but harmful. However several centuries later scientists thoroughly studied its structure, though to this day between them there is a set of disputes on its toxicity.

It is possible to refer its excellent tastes to the first and undoubted advantage of a tomato. At its structure there is a set of various vitamins and minerals necessary for a human body.

In addition, tomato is rich with wine, apple and lemon acids. In spite of the fact that many are sure that it is better to use vegetables and fruit in the raw, tomatoes gain the main advantage in a boiled look.

This red vegetable is powerful antidepressant thanks to availability of serotonin, improves mood and adjusts work of a nervous system. And the content of phytoncides allows it to fight against inflammatory and bactericidal processes in an organism.

Seeds of tomatoes contain substances which liquefy blood and interfere with development of thrombosis. In addition, seeds of a tomato are excellent prophylactic from a heart attack and other serious diseases. The peel of tomatoes favorably influences an intestines peristaltics.

The advantage of tomatoes consists also in lycopene – the powerful antioxidant which is natural medicine at treatment of the most various diseases. Lycopene suppresses growth of cancer cells and prevents DNA mutation. The advantage of tomatoes considerably increases if to use them together with vegetable oil as lycopene is better acquired together with vegetable fats. By the way, exactly thanks to lycopene at tomatoes red color.

Treatment by tomatoes

Thanks to the high content of useful substances tomatoes various diseases treat.

For example, tomato juice perfectly helps at diseases of a stomach and digestive tract. It saves from locks which often are a consequence of diseases of a stomach and a 12-perstny gut.

At cardiovascular diseases at a diet there shall be whole tomatoes, salads with them and tomato juice. Fresh tomatoes, as well as subjected to heat treatment are fine means at all forms of atherosclerosis. And thanks to the high content of vitamins tomato perfectly helps at avitaminosis. Therefore if you noticed that your skin, hair and nails became worse to look, it is time to stock up with vitamins and to eat tomatoes.

In traditional medicine also long since used tomato for treatment of wounds and burns. Put a half of a fresh tomato as juice of vegetable possesses bactericidal and antiseptic action to a fresh wound. And at burns tomato juice was mixed with ovalbumin and put to a sore point. It helped to lower pain and to accelerate recovery process.

Tribes of Indians used tomatoes for increase in a potentiality. And it is valid, scientists found out that tomatoes well influence function of gonads. Not for nothing French called them "love apples".

Harm of tomatoes

In addition to advantage tomatoes are capable to do also harm to an organism. The most important harm of tomatoes is an allergenicity. The people inclined to food allergies should not use this vegetable in large numbers. Besides, high content in tomatoes of oxalic acid which negatively influences a water salt metabolism does them harmful to people with gout, arthritis, diseases of kidneys.

There is also an opinion though it is unknown as far as it is truthful that at the frequent use of tomato nicotine addiction develops.

Tomatoes are cholagogue therefore people should not abuse them with cholelithiases as as a result it can lead to jamming of stones in a bilious channel or lead to the fact that stones will increase.

And with diseases of kidneys, cardiovascular system, a hypertension it is desirable for people to exclude tinned, marinated and salty tomatoes from a diet. In addition, tomatoes and tomato juice can promote formation of stones in kidneys and a bladder.

Nutritionists because of the low caloric content of tomato recommend it to include in the dietary menu, insisting that they are incompatible with eggs, meat, bread and fish. Therefore between the use of tomatoes and these products it is necessary to do a break in a couple of hours.