Tomatoes as a Remedy for a Variety of Illnesses

If only everyone was acutely aware of the many amazing health benefits of tomatoes, then perhaps we would have a bit more respect for this lowly fruit. Today, our culture is so concerned with convenience and comfort that we take foods like the tomato for granted. Tomatoes are highly nutritious and packed full of antioxidants. They can be used in a variety of different ways that can benefit your body inside and out. Knowing about all of the ways you can use them will help you see that you shouldn’t be without tomatoes in your home.

How Tomatoes Can Save Your Life

Tomatoes are a fruit, even though many people think of them as vegetables. But whether you think of tomatoes as a fruit or vegetable, it doesn’t matter. They are a nutrient-rich food that can help boost your body’s ability to stay healthy and protect itself from diseases and health problems, such as the following:

• Cancer

The antioxidant Vitamin C in tomatoes can keep free radicals from forming in your body. Free radicals are what cause cancer. The more you can get rid of, the lower your risk for this disease.

• Prostate Cancer

This form of cancer in men can be devastating. In conducting research to determine how it may be prevented, scientists and medical professionals have found that people who consume lycopene have a lower risk of prostate cancer. Tomatoes, especially red ones, are high in lycopene.

• Prevent DNA damage

Once again, the antioxidant, Vitamin C in tomatoes help in preventing damage to one’s DNA and even ward off age-related diseases like diabetes. They help mop up damaging free radicals in the body that can harm your body.

• Cardiovascular Issues

Good heart health is supported by many nutrients found in tomatoes. The fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and choline are all important for the heart. The high potassium and low sodium levels are also helpful in keeping the heart strong and healthy.

• Skin Problems

Tomatoes help protect the skin from the harmful effects of the sun and the environment. The vitamin C in tomatoes helps support collagen, which is what keeps your skin looking and feeling young and healthy. When you have adequate vitamin C in your body, your skin can fight the damage the sun and pollution can cause.

• Mental Health Problems

Folic acid is essential to your mental health. It can lower the risk of depression in adults. This is because it prevents an overabundance of homocysteine in the body. Homocysteine also helps keep nutrients and blood from going to the brain where it is needed. This can affect the production of norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin; regulate your mood, sleep, and appetite.

Eating a wide variety of foods, to include colorful fruits and vegetables that mimic the rainbow is so essential in preventing adverse health and diseases. We owe it to ourselves to make the best food choices and eat the recommended number of servings of each food that will give us a conscious assurance of good health.