THE PULPY FRUIT: TOMATO!

Tomato, a pulpy nutritious fruit commonly eaten as a vegetable is another wonderful gift of the Mayans to the world.

In plant science, a fruit is a seed bearing structure that develops from the ovary of a flowering plant. This justifies the fact why tomato is a fruit.

Tomatoes have seized the attention of millions of health seekers for its incredible phytochemical properties. Interestingly, it has more health benefiting compounds than that of some popular fruits like apple!

Tomato belongs to Solanaceae or nightshade family of common vegetables, which also includes chili peppers, potato , eggplant, etc. Its scientific name is Lycopersicon esculentum.

They are sweet, juicy, and delicious.

They are rich in vitamin C.

They are low in calories.

They are fat free but that’s not all!

Let’s look at what make the tomato an excellent healthy choice.

Some of the health benefits of tomatoes

1) Cell Repair And Muscle Building
It is a naturally rich source of protein, which is good for cell repair and muscle building.

2) Less Fat Content
Other basic nutrients include 4 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of protein, 18 calories and 0 grams of saturated fat. This vegetable can be eaten in good amounts due to the lower rate of calories in tomato.

3) Lower Cholesterol
Tomatoes seeds have no cholesterol. Thus, tomato seeds don’t add cholesterol to your diet. Tomato seeds are high in fiber; fiber is known to lower cholesterol. Tomato seeds also are rich sources of niacin (vitamin B3). Niacin has been used to lower cholesterol levels for many years.

4). Improve Eyesight
Tomatoes and their seeds contain high amounts of Vitamin A. Vitamin A has often been associated with excellent eyesight, and a deficiency of this vitamin causes night blindness. Tomato seeds thus help improve eyesight.

Skin Benefits Of Tomatoes

Besides cooking, tomato can be used in a number of ways to enhance your beauty. It is considered to be the panacea of skin. It is believed that consuming tomato and tomato products will give you a healthy and beautiful skin . Its beauty benefits are gaining popularity with every passing day. Benefits of tomatoes for skin include the following:

1). Treat Open Pores
Add four drops of tomato juice to 1 tablespoon of water and apply it on your face with the help of a cotton ball.
Gently massage your skin with this mixture and leave it on for 15 minutes. Regular application of this will shrink the pore size.

2). Glowing Skin
Tomatoes are not just an important part of a healthy diet but also work wonders when applied topically on the skin. Applying tomato juice or rubbing tomato halves on the skin evens out the skin and revives the glow giving you a healthy looking skin. It contains a high amount of Vitamin C , which is known to brighten skin.

Hair Benefits Of Tomatoes

You must have noticed that many hair care products including shampoos and conditioners contain tomato extract as one of the ingredients.
This is because tomato contains important nutrients like Vitamin A, B, C, and E, which are excellent stimulants for healthy hair . Some of the benefits of tomatoes for hair include these below.

1. Tomatoes are considered to be an excellent cure for hair loss. It is believed that application of tomato pulp on the scalp can prevent hair loss.

2). Tomatoes are amazing natural conditioners coming straight from your kitchen. It provides natural shine to the hair and makes it soft and manageable.
Take a few drops of tomato oil in your hand and apply it on your hair. This will act as a leave-in conditioner and will keep the hair manageable and frizz free.

3). Pure, homemade tomato puree can help in bringing radiance and elasticity to dry hair.

Mix tomato puree with oil and apply it on the hair. Leave it for 20 minutes and then wash it off. This will make the hair super smooth, shiny and flexible as it contains high amounts of protein in it.

4).Regular swimming often changes the colour of the hair due to the high amount of chlorine present in the pool water. Tomato can be a great help to remove the stains from the hair.
Apply pure tomato juice to the hair and leave it for 20 minutes. Rinse it off with water, followed by shampoo and conditioning.

5). Tomato hair rinse can be used to impart shine and remove excess build-up from the scalp. Take 3 ripe tomatoes, remove the skin and seeds and squeeze the juice out of it. Spray it on your hair and scalp and wash it off after 1 hour.

Tomato juice is gaining immense popularity as popular health drink. Opt for organic tomato juice as it contains three times more lycopene than the regular ones.

Regular tomatoes, mainly cherry tomatoes are used in the preparation of salads and sandwiches.

You can also stew tomatoes to prepare tomato soup, sauce, and other baked dishes. Homemade tomato sauce is way better than those available in the market.

Enjoy! ! !