Hong Ruopu, a nutritionist at Xiao Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Taipei United Hospital, pointed out that tomatoes are rich in lycopene, vitamins, minerals, trace elements, high-quality dietary fiber and other high-value nutrients. They are not only low in calories, but also stable in blood sugar and blood pressure. They are the best food for cancer prevention and anti-aging.
As for tomatoes, are they fruits or vegetables? But few people can make it clear. According to the classification of Taiwan Province Food Nutrition Database, large tomatoes belong to vegetables and are suitable for cooking and cooking. Generally not used for cooking. Small tomatoes rich in vitamin C are considered as fruits and suitable for raw food.
The nutritional calories of large and small tomatoes vary greatly.
According to the data of Agriculture Committee, the common large tomatoes in Taiwan Province Province are: black persimmon tomato and beef tomato, which are mainly produced in Chiayi, Changhua, Yunlin, Nantou, Hualien, Hsinchu and other counties and cities; Small tomatoes include jade girl, saint, saint fruit and so on. Mainly produced in Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung and other places, the production season is about 165438+ October to May.
Although tomatoes can be eaten from skin to pulp seeds, the whole fruit can be eaten. However, the same tomato variety100g, the calorie of small tomato is 35 calories, and that of large tomato is only 26 calories. The vitamin C content of large tomato is 2 1mg, while that of small tomato is 3 times higher, about 67 mg, and the difference between them is obvious.
Nutritionist Hong Ruopu emphasized that the taste and taste of large and small tomatoes actually have their own characteristics. Like big tomatoes, it is best to pick the ones with round fruit shape, bright red fruit color and rich fruit fragrance. The redder, the more lycopene. Small tomatoes emphasize that the fruit is oblong, bright red and beautiful, and the fruit shape is neat and beautiful; In particular, the skin is thin and tender, and the sweet taste is sour.
Lycopene in tomatoes, in particular, is a powerful antioxidant with anticancer effect; Studies have confirmed that lycopene is not only completely not afraid of heating, but also easier to release nutrients and absorb after cooking.
Antioxidant original tomato soup
This "antioxidant tomato soup" is very simple. Stir-fry olive oil, minced garlic and onion, add tomatoes, red bell peppers and vegetable soup and heat them together. After being beaten by a blender, it is the basic tomato soup, which is nutritious and delicious. Not only is it suitable for cold and hot, but also different spices and seasonings can be added according to personal preferences to enrich the taste.
As for how to eat tomatoes best? Here are seven tips to teach you to eat healthily without losing nutrition:
1. The redder the better: tomatoes come in red, yellow and blue. The redder the better, the more lycopene content.
2. Heated food is better than raw food: cooked food can destroy cell walls and release more lycopene. Since lycopene is an antioxidant component that is stable to heat, there is no need to worry about being damaged by heating.
3. Don't peel: There is more lycopene in the peel than in the fruit. The redder the tomato, the more lycopene in the peel, which may be 2 to 3 times that of the fruit.
4. If you want to eat it raw, it is recommended to eat it after meals: If you want to eat tomatoes raw, it is better to eat them after meals than to eat them on an empty stomach, because eating meat or fat and eating tomatoes after meals is better for your body to absorb lycopene than on an empty stomach.
5. It is best to cook tomatoes in oil: it is also related to the fat solubility of lycopene, so it is best to cook tomatoes in oil, which can improve the absorption rate by 2 to 3 times.
6. Supplement tomato products: Tomato juice, tomato sauce and other products also contain lycopene. If you don't have a chance to eat too many fresh tomatoes, you can also use tomato products to supplement them, but these products contain high sodium, so patients with hypertension should not eat too much.
7. Eat as soon as possible: Lycopene has antioxidant effect, but it is easy to oxidize when exposed to air. It is suggested that both cooked tomatoes and canned tomato juice should be eaten as soon as possible.
The redder tomatoes are, the higher lycopene is, and cooking can enhance nutrient absorption.