Tomatoes are very healthy

1. Just a few hundred years ago, tomatoes were considered poisonous. It is therefore no coincidence that the plant belongs to the genus of the 'nightshade':

1. The plant does indeed protect itself against insects and parasites by producing a toxin, which we find in the stem and leaves, which is also harmful to humans.

1. In the fruit, however, this poison disappears as soon as it starts to ripen. By the time the tomato is nicely red and ripe, the toxins have completely disappeared, and what we are left with is a tasty fruit that can offer us many health benefits.

1. Which ones? You can read all about that in this article!

1. You see, we are talking about tomatoes as being fruits, not vegetables. Although they are indeed often counted among the vegetables, tomatoes are actually a fruit. They are also very versatile in terms of their use in our kitchen.

1. You can eat them raw, in a salad or on a sandwich, but they are also very tasty when cooked. Because they are so rich in acids, they are also perfectly suited for canning.

1. They are now so inseparable from our Western diet that we cannot imagine that they were considered inedible at the beginning of the 18th century and that they were not until the second half of the year. appeared all over European cuisine in the 19th century.

1. It supplies us with 40% of our daily recommended amount of vitamin C, 20% of our needs for vitamin A, 2% of what we need for iron and 1% of our recommended amount of calcium. Let's see some of the health benefits they bring to us :)

1. Several studies have shown that eating tomatoes can significantly reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. Especially lung, stomach and prostate cancer.

1. A substance called lycopene, which is also responsible for the red color of tomatoes, is thought to be responsible for this protective effect against cancer. Processed tomatoes are even richer in lycopene than raw tomatoes.

1. During cooking, the cell walls are broken down, which means that more lycopene is released. If you eat the tomatoes with a little bit of fat, such as olive oil, you will help your body absorb the lycopene better.

1. Tomatoes contain important nutrients such as niacin, folic acid and vitamin B6. All these substances are linked to the prevention of cardiovascular disease. One study found that women who ate seven to 10 servings of tomatoes per week had a lower risk of heart disease by up to 30 percent than women who only put tomatoes on the menu once or twice a week. The results were even better when the women combined the tomatoes with a vegetable oil.

1. Tomatoes are rich in important anti-oxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin A. These vitamins protect us against DNA damage caused by free radicals. As a result, tomatoes may well protect us against a number of age-related diseases such as atherosclerosis and diabetes.

1. Another study showed that a daily glass of tomato juice helps prevent blood vessel clumping. This, of course, helps to prevent any blood clots. If you want to enjoy this health benefit, you should be careful not to make your tomato juice too salty. [!Pullquote] Too much salt in our diet is a risk factor for getting thromboses. [!/ Pullquote]

1. A double-blind study showed that drinking one glass of tomato juice per day could decrease the TNF-alpha level in the blood by 34 percent. TNF-alpha causes inflammation. High levels of TNF-alpha are found in Alzheimer's patients, people with heart disease, cancer and osteoporosis.

1. How often do you put tomatoes on the menu?

1. Do you eat them daily or rather sporadically? And if you eat them often, are you doing this for health reasons or just because you like them? Be sure to send us your reaction and if you have a good recipe idea with tomatoes, this is of course always welcome!