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Are Tomatoes Healthy, or Harmful?

Tomatoes. Are they a fruit or a vegetable ? But more importantly, are they good for you, or do they have hidden downsides ? here ’ s what to know about one of the world ’ s most widely-eaten plants. Tomatoes are popular today, but that wasn ’ thyroxine constantly the case. Until the mid-1800s, people in the United States and Europe avoided and tied feared them. Tomatoes are a penis of the nightshade family of plants, which many Europeans historically considered to be toxic. ( To be fair, eating the leaves and berries of one of the members of this family, Belladonna, will give you hallucinations and craze if they don ’ triiodothyronine kill you first. )
Add the strong aroma of the tomato plant itself, and the scandalously red skin and juices, and those not familiar with the tomato ’ s culinary upsides might be forgiven for thinking that it was not meet for human consumption .
early tomato market in the US didn ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate help. A gardener from Massachusetts described them as “ disgusting ” sometime in the 1820s. Another chronicler of public opinion estimated that no more than 2 % of the population would try that “ false pan ” a second time following initial exposure.

It wasn ’ metric ton just that tomato was an grow taste that the populace hadn ’ t acquired. There was downright terror of tomatoes through the middle of the nineteenth century. One myth, widely believed in Europe, was that the bare affect of the greens tomato worm could result in death .
Another myth attributed the deaths of affluent nobility to their love of tomatoes, nicknaming the fruit “ poison apples ” ( actually, the tomato may have played a function in their deaths, as its high acidic content released the lead in their visualize pewter plates and caused lead poison. But I doubt a jury of tomato ’ sulfur peers would convict it of murder given such extenuate circumstances ). And tied though these bad raps were inspired by misinformation, that fear around tomatoes and early nightshade plants persisted for a long prison term. In fact, it still pops up on some option nutriment blogs .
however, tomatoes are the second most widely eaten vegetable in the United States today, losing the pennant merely to potatoes. however, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, What We Eat in America ( 2005–2010 ), found that most tomatoes were consumed as tomato products — namely as tomato sauce for pasta or as catsup .
so what ’ s the truth about tomatoes ? Are tomatoes healthy ? Should we be consuming them in such big quantities ? Or alternatively, are they toxic, sour methamphetamine that carries deathlike worms ? Or is the accuracy more nuanced ? Let ’ s find out .

Where Did Tomatoes Originate?

tomatoes growing on the vine
Tomatoes originated in South and Central America. All the tomatoes we eat today are derived from Solanum pimpinellifolium — nicknamed “pimp” at a time when the bible didn ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate bid images of jewel-handed canes and giant sunglasses — a bantam, wild tomato nobelium bigger than a pea. The pimp still grows angry in northern Peru and southerly Ecuador. Tomatoes spread globally as the seeds were taken from Mexico and South America to Spain and across Europe. And the tomatoes grown today, in the United States and elsewhere, are descendants of those european strains .

Are Tomatoes a Fruit or Vegetable?

While most of the more bizarre myths around tomatoes have been cleared up by now, there ’ s one argument that still remains. Are tomatoes considered a fruit or a vegetable ?
often, they ’ rhenium referred to as both. But technically ( or botanically ), they ’ ra fruits. Tomatoes are ripened flower ovaries and contain seeds, which are characteristics of fruit. If you ’ ve always seen a tomato grow, it emerges from the same spots where the implant ’ sulfur flowers have bloomed .
I ’ m not sure why this debate is limited to tomatoes, by the way. here ’ s a identical non-comprehensive number of vegetables that are, botanically speaking, besides fruits : bell peppers, squash, cucumbers, pumpkins, olives, avocado, and okra .
But to many nutritionists, and in the culinary earth, all of the above are treated as vegetables. Tomatoes don ’ metric ton offer the same fresh relish as most fruits. Their miss of natural sugar content compared to other “ fruit ” puts them typically in savory dishes and not desserts. I mean, have you always had a tomato proto-indo european as a sweetly treat ? I didn ’ thyroxine think so. After all, as journalist Miles Kington is quoted as saying, “ Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. ”
so for now, possibly we can continue to consider tomatoes to be both a fruit and a vegetable, given the characteristics that allow them to fit into both categories .

Types of Tomatoes

variety of tomatoes on table
If you look around your local supermarket, it may appear that there are basically two types of tomatoes, adult ones and belittled ones. But the truth is that in most retail stores, there are at least 10 fresh tomato varieties, ranging from cherry to vine-ripened. And when it comes to the varieties available for your home garden, there are over 400 to choose from .
All modern domestic tomatoes ( known botanically as Solanum lycopersicum, which by the way means “ nightshade wolf peach ” for no reason that I could figure out from an exhaustive 3-minute Google search ) are unusually exchangeable, genetically. Taken together, they possess no more than 5 % of the total genic variation present within the wild species and primitive varieties .
Some of the types most normally seen in grocery store stores include :

  • Grape Tomatoes
  • Beefsteak Tomatoes (Green or Red)
  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Cocktail Tomatoes
  • Roma Tomatoes
  • Heirloom Tomatoes
  • Tomatoes on the Vine

typically, tomatoes are greens when green and become crimson as they ripen. But they besides come in many unlike colors outside of what you ’ ll find in the grocery store shop. At some farmers markets, CSAs, or if growing your own tomatoes, you may come across jaundiced, orange, pink, green, burgundy, purple, streaked and striped, and brown or practically black tomatoes .
And if you ’ re growing them at home, no matter what their color, tomatoes all have the lapp needs — wax sun, prolific dirty, and water .

Tomato Nutrition

avocado toast with tomato and arugula garnish
careless of the kind you choose, tomatoes are full of healthy nutrients. They ’ re a great generator of potassium and vitamin C and are a hydrating food due to their high moisture content .
Tomatoes are besides packed with health-promoting antioxidants and phytochemicals, including several beneficial forms of vitamin A such as xanthophyll, zeaxanthin, and lycopene .
Tomatoes are one of the best sources of lycopene, which helps reduce excitement and is beneficial for conditions related to oxidative stress. Lycopene besides appears to have strong anti-cancer properties, particularly in studies with men and prostate gland cancer. Lycopene may be the most celebrated antioxidant in tomatoes, but it appears in early crimson plant foods equally well .
How much lycopene you can find in any given tomato is anyone ’ south estimate. however, in one survey, the total of lycopene was reported to range from 2.5 to 200 mg/100 thousand in raw tomatoes — a divisor of 80. The floor of lycopene is directly related to ripeness and increased ph ( that is, lower sourness ). So the better tasting the fruit ( OK, vegetable ), the better it credibly is for you .
To enhance your concentration of lycopene from tomatoes, eat them with some healthy fat. Lycopene is a carotenoid, which is a fat-soluble intensify. As such, eating it alongside some fat can help boost its bioavailability for your consistency. Cultures that serve tomatoes with olive vegetable oil or avocadoes seem to have known this instinctively .
Studies tell us that heating tomatoes can increase the total of lycopene that the torso will absorb, by breaking down establish cells that trap the lycopene ( puréeing has this effect arsenic well ). According to one cogitation in the Journal of Food Science, the best ways to cook tomatoes and retain arsenic much lycopene as possible are either by using the microwave or the stovetop .

5 Health Benefits of Tomatoes

hands holding heart shaped tomato
The health benefits of tomatoes are best seen in their whole food form. In early words, when all their natural nutrients are integral and there ’ s been no high fructose corn syrup, overindulgence sodium, or other unwanted ingredients added to them .
In their most natural form, tomatoes may offer the trace benefits to your health .

1. Anticancer Properties

We already established that tomatoes are chock full of antioxidants, which can help protect your cells from oxidative price that can lead to diseases like cancer. The most study anticancer compound in tomatoes has been lycopene, which, in addition to helping inhibit prostate cancer, may besides help to fight gastric cancer .

2. Cardioprotective Benefits

It ’ s potential that a tomato a day may help keep the affection doctor of the church away. research shows that the amount of lycopene circulating in your blood is inversely proportional to the incidence of heart diseases. Why ? Lycopene appears to reduce the hazard for inflammatory disorders, such as atherosclerosis, or the buildup of brass in your arteries that can lead to a affection attack or stroke. It besides modulates cholesterol, which plays a major function in your protection against atherosclerosis and heart disease .

3. Anti-Aging Benefits

The antioxidants in tomatoes don ’ triiodothyronine just help protect you against chronic diseases. They may besides help keep your peel looking younger by preventing photodamage. One 2019 report found that lycopene supplement resulted in higher rake levels and may have a skin-rejuvenating effect on middle-aged people. What ’ s more, one study found that green tomatoes contain a colonial called tomatidine, which may improve the efficacy and strength of your cellular sign, and even extend life. so if you garden, and have some fleeceable tomatoes that may not survive the inaugural frost, you can pick them early and possibly know long !

4. Eye Health

That ’ south correct, protecting your eyes isn ’ thymine just about wearing sunglasses or getting an annual sight examination. You can protect your eyes with what you eat every day, including making tomatoes a part of your regular diet. Tomatoes are high in vitamin C, which is a major geomorphologic component of blood vessels and tissues in your eyes. They ’ re besides a rich source of vitamin A, which lowers your gamble for age-related macular degeneration and is an essential part of visual purple, a light-absorbing protein in your retinene receptors. Side note, if you ’ rhenium matter to in learning more about the top foods that are full for eye health, check out our article here !

5. Offers Protection Against Respiratory Disorders

Lycopene appears to have a protective effect in respiratory conditions like asthma and COPD, and one study even found that lycopene could suppress airway inflammation in asthma. other inquiry has suggested that eating antioxidant-rich tomatoes may even help slow the decline of lung function, specially among people with a history of smoking cigarettes who have since discontinue .

Potential Downsides to Eating Tomatoes

woman wondering are tomatoes healthy
Despite all of their fantastic health benefits, tomatoes may besides come with a few reasons for some people to avoid them .

Allergies and Reactions

While tomato allergies are rare, specially ones that can cause hard reactions, they can still happen. According to reports, some possible symptoms of a tomato allergy may include swelling and excitation of the skin, inflammation and fluid nose, and abdominal pain.

Some people besides experience what ’ s called oral allergy syndrome, which is a contact reaction to ingesting sealed foods and pollen that can cause your mouth and throat to become antsy. Others may experience latex cross-reactivity after eating tomatoes ( ampere well as bananas, avocado, new zealander, and chestnuts ), which is when your immune system overreacts to proteins that are found in natural arctic latex paint. And if you ever experience symptoms ranging from a stuffy nose to migraine after eating tomatoes, you may have histamine intolerance. Tomatoes have high levels of histamine in them, which can trigger a reaction we think of as an allergic chemical reaction, although this international relations and security network ’ t the lapp as having an allergy per southeast .

GERD and Reflux

Tomatoes are highly acidic, and consequently often considered a trigger food for people with gastroesophageal reflux disease ( GERD ) or acid reflux, in which digest contents flow back up through the esophagus and campaign discomfort. While this international relations and security network ’ metric ton a given, it ’ randomness something to be aware of if you suffer from these types of conditions .

The Nightshade Controversy

This international relations and security network ’ t actually a downside, but I want to shed some light on the nightshade controversy. The bottom line is that most people don ’ thyroxine very have a trouble with the edible members of this family of foods ( such as doorbell peppers, eggplants, potatoes, and tomatoes ). While nightshades do contain toxic compounds called alkaloids, peculiarly one called solanine, they ’ ra highly unlikely to contain them in amounts that are dangerous. In fact, most nightshades contain around 2-13 milligram of solanine each. And with a potentially toxic inhalation of around 400 milligram, you ’ d credibly have to eat well over 30 tomatoes in one sitting to put yourself at any degree of risk .
While most healthy people credibly don ’ t need to put much remember into avoiding tomatoes and other nightshades, a few groups may want to steer clear. People with incendiary intestine diseases may experience intestinal permeability, which could worsen with excessive consumption of the character in tomatoes. Additionally, some people with autoimmune diseases report feeling fewer symptoms when they avoid nightshades, though most of these are anecdotic and likely depend on the individual .

Pesticides and Tomatoes

Tomatoes were besides listed vitamin a # 12 on the Environmental Working Group ’ s annual Dirty Dozen list this class. This means that tomatoes are among the grow most probable to have contaminant from pesticides when grown conventionally, compared to other types of produce. so tomatoes are a estimable crop to grow yourself or buy organically originate if you can .

How to Choose Tomatoes

man choosing tomatoes in grocery store
Tomatoes are at their best color, spirit, and texture when they ’ rhenium vine-ripened and consumed at bill ripeness. however, most boughten tomatoes are picked when they ’ ra greens and hard, and then shipped hanker distances in huge trucks to reach storehouse shelves .
merely like bananas and several early fruits and veggies, tomatoes contain ethylene natural gas, which makes them ripen. To speed up the appearance of ripening, many companies lock green green tomatoes in an ethylene-filled bedroom. But this merely forces them to turn red, not to ripen in the lapp means they would in nature .
Natural ripeness brings more flavor to them, which is why some boughten tomatoes look loss but taste an awful fortune like cardboard ( I want to point out that this is a simile ; I do not actually eat cardboard ). This is one of the reasons that home gardeners much love to grow tomatoes. They can ripen on the vine and only get picked when spirit is at its point .
But if that ’ s not an option for you, or you enjoy tomato year-round, then here are some helpful tips to selecting the best and healthiest tomatoes :

  • Choose tomatoes that don’t have dark spots, mushy spots, or blemishes as this can indicate rotting inside.
  • Holding a tomato in your hand, choose one that feels firm, but soft enough to respond to pressure from squeezing.
  • Take note of how heavy the tomato feels in your hand, as it should have a solid weight for its size that indicates its juiciness.
  • Take a whiff of it! A good tomato will have a strong, woodsy tomato scent particularly when you smell it where it was removed from its stem.

How to Store Tomatoes

When you get your tomatoes home, it becomes important to store them by rights to maximize ledge life. broadly, you shouldn ’ t store tomatoes in the refrigerator until they ’ ra cut capable, as this actually dries them out and reduces their natural spirit. On your apartment countertop, store tomatoes stem-side down to protect this sensitive area from exposure to moisture and bacteria that can lead to faster abasement .
besides, if you grew up in the 1970s and had a television, you may have learned from the Ginsu knife commercial not to try to cut tomatoes using your hand. I good thought I ’ five hundred repeat that wisdom for later generations .

Canned Tomato Products and BPA

canned tomato next to tomatoes on the vine
One of the add benefits of buying and eating fresh foods is that you don ’ t have to worry about potentially harmful compounds in their packaging .
BPA, unretentive for Bisphenol A, is a compound often found in cans, formative, and other food packaging materials. It ’ second been used in this way since the 1940s. unfortunately, BPA is a known hormone disruptor, which means that it interferes with the normal function of your generative system and increases the risk for sterility, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and fleshiness .
Though consumer demand has helped encourage many food manufacturers to phase out the use of BPA, many canned foods are still lined with it. There ’ s a higher risk with foods like tomatoes because they ’ ra acidic, with a ph of around 4.2. And unlike low-acidity foods, tomatoes can cause the fictile they ’ re packaged in to degrade and start leach, excessively .
therefore, it’s best to avoid buying canned tomatoes and tomato products that are sold in cans to minimize your exposure to BPA. rather, a safe choice would be to look for tomato products packaged in glass jars or in Tetra Pak-style boxes .

Best Ways to Prepare Tomatoes

closeup of elderly woman slicing tomatoes on cutting board
I ’ ve known a few people who eat unharmed tomatoes barely like they would an apple ( this is a singular challenge, considering the tomato ’ randomness leaning to spurt juice onto shirts of all colors ). But if that ’ s not your thing, there are enough of other ways to prepare and enjoy them .

  • Raw tomatoes work well on salads, cut into wedges alongside a dip, chopped and made into a decadent salsa, or sliced thinly for wraps and sandwiches.
  • Cooked tomatoes add a nice flare to soups and stews, can be made into rich sauces, can be roasted and blistered for use in pasta dishes, work well in casseroles and ratatouille, lend well to savory pies, and can even be grilled on skewers along with bell peppers, baby tomatoes, mushrooms, and pineapple.
  • Dehydrated or sun-dried tomatoes can add a sweet-tartness to homemade burgers, grain and legume bowls, mixed green salads, and on top of crackers and flatbreads.

3 Tomato-Centric Recipes

If incorporate tomatoes into your diet hasn ’ t been your daily practice, now ’ s the time to experiment with these beauties and appreciate their versatility. Start with delightful grapeshot or cherry tomatoes roasted with balsamic vinegar and basil for a spring nosh or topped on whole-grain boodle for an appetizer. Try your hand at a fresh and flavorful crimson sauce by making the Basic Red Tomato Sauce. Or, create delectable burgers using tomato paste and sun-dried tomatoes, along with almonds and tamari for a arrant umami know .
roasted balsamic basil tomatoes on sheet pan
Get your daily dose of vitamin C and carotenoids — nutrients that support skin health, immune function, and heart health — with the help of delectable roasted tomatoes. It ’ south about as if tomatoes, basil, and balsamic vinegar were made for each early. Enjoy this tasty dish as a warm bite by itself or spread it on whole-grain bread, homemade crackers, or avocado goner .
basic red sauce in bowl
What ’ s the beginning thing that comes to mind when you think of italian food ? We bet it involves tomato sauce, one of the most popular culinary creations of all time. Whether you want it for hearty pasta dishes or comforting plant-based pizza, making your own is simple, with barely a few extra key ingredients like garlic, onion, and marjoram. Pro gratuity : double or triple this recipe thus you can freeze it and enjoy it in the weeks to come !
umami sun dried tomato and almond burger on plate
In this delightful vegetable burger recipe, you ’ ll use both tomato paste and sun-dried tomatoes, which not only highlights the versatility of tomatoes but besides creates bursts of spirit. The umami depth comes from the sun-dried tomatoes, nuts, and tamari. They taste antic served as a traditional hamburger or bun-free .

Tomatoes Are Healthy & Delicious

Tomatoes come in different sizes, colors, and types but they all share the lapp accuracy : they ’ re alimentary fruits ( and vegetables, if you prefer ! ) that are full of antioxidants. These powerful antioxidants give them a numeral of important health benefits and may help to protect against chronic disease and aging. For most people, tomatoes are a delectable and fantastic part of a healthy diet, particularly if you can get or grow them organically .

Tell us in the comments:

  • Do you eat tomatoes? What’s your favorite way to prepare them?
  • Have you ever tried other varieties of tomatoes that aren’t generally found in the grocery store?
  • Have you had luck growing your own tomatoes at home, either in a garden bed or a pot? What tips and tricks do you suggest for home-grown tomatoes?

Feature image: iStock.com/Magone

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