Photo: St0rmz / Flickr

Many consider tomato to be a vegetable, but few know that it is actually a fruit. Tomatoes are not only good for the body, but they are also versatile and easy to prepare. Tomatoes form a part of most salads, sauces and gravies and can be eaten in a variety of ways. If you do not like the taste, you can simply hide them in your stew or curry and it cooks within minutes. You do not have to be a chef to cook a tomato – and if you don’t want to cook them, simply eat them raw.

Antioxidants

One of the major benefits of eating a tomato is its high lycopene content. Lycopene is an antioxidant that will help your body fight cancerous cell development and formation, as well as other diseases and complications, by mopping up dangerous free radicals. Lycopene is actually what gives the fruit its rich, red, colouring. Your body cannot produce lycopene so you have to make sure you get it from the food you eat. The tomato has the highest concentration of this antioxidant, so plays a vital role as part of your diet.

Many vitamins and minerals

One tomato can give you up to 40 per cent of your daily vitamin C dosage. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant which fights against the free radicals that cause cancer and ageing. Tomatoes are also rich in potassium, iron and vitamin A. The iron is needed to keep your blood healthy and potassium plays a role in your nervous system. Tomatoes also have lots of vitamin K which help your blood to clot.

Unlike broccoli, peas or beans, there are few who do not like the taste of tomato. And even those who don’t aren’t going to argue about the tomato sauce on a pizza or served with chips. So there’s no excuse not to include this superfood in your diet.

Tags: eating healthily, minerals, vegetables, vitamins