Tomato Talk

By Paromeeta Ray

Category: health

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Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson of New Jersey, USA, brought some tomatoes back home from a journey overseas. That was the early 1800s and tomatoes were never eaten in US before. These beautiful red vegetables were for long believed to be causes of cancer, brain fever, appendicitis etc. In September 1820, Johnson consumed a basketful of tomatoes in front of a crowd of people at his hometown. The spectators were anticipating something fatal to happen to Johnson even as he was eating the tomatoes, but nothing happened obviously.
Soon tomatoes became a regular component of the American recipes and there were enough reasons for that.

Benefits we get from tomatoes:

a) The red pigment, present in tomatoes, called lycopene, is an antioxidant. It negates the free radicals that can harm the body cells.
Recent studies have revealed that lycopene may even have double the strength of the effective antioxidant betacarotene.
b) Harvard researchers have concluded that men consuming 10 servings of tomatoes, per week, can reduce their risk of developing prostate cancer by a significant 40 percent.
c) Researchers from Italy claim that consumption of raw tomatoes can reduce, the risks of acquiring colon or rectal cancers, considerably.
d) Researchers from Israel have discovered that lycopene is capable of preventing lung and breast cancers. It can also prevent uterine cancer.
e) Nitrosamines are compounds that grow naturally in the body. These are also the strongest carcinogenic chemical compounds found in tobacco smoke. The harmful effects of nitrosamines, are believed to be blocked by chlorogenic acid and coumaric acid, two very strong compounds found in tomatoes. Thus tomatoes reduce risks of lung cancer considerably.
f) Lycopene in tomatoes delay the aging process and enable older people to stay active.
g) Tomatoes are excellent sources of Vitamin C.
h) Tomatoes are also sources of Vitamin A, potassium and iron.


Bright red tomatoes are the best, as they are believed to have the maximum amounts of betacarotene and lycopene. As lycopene is present on the cell walls, it gets released to the fullest extent, when tomatoes are cooked in a little oil. If tomatoes are cooked in olive oil, our bodies absorb the lycopene more easily.
Raw, fresh tomatoes are excellent for the health. But tomatoes retain almost all of their nutritional properties even after undergoing cooking or heat processing. Tomato puree, tomato sauce or canned tomatoes are all as good as fresh tomatoes.