The aging process of people is a process of continuous oxidation. If you want to delay aging, you can eat more foods with antioxidant properties, such as tomatoes.
Each 100 grams of tomatoes contains 14 mg of vitamin C, and also contains nutrients such as lycopene and glutathione. Under the comprehensive synergy of these nutrients, it can produce a certain antioxidant effect.
Eating tomatoes often has a certain auxiliary effect on preventing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and prostate cancer.
Regarding tomatoes, there are many "eating taboos" circulating on the Internet. Which ones are real and which ones are fake?
"Eating taboo" rumor 1: When buying tomatoes, don't buy green ones, they will be poisoned if you eat them.
Fact: Unripe tomatoes are blue in color and contain a certain amount of the toxic alkaloid solanine.
Eating large amounts can lead to food poisoning.
In addition, there are special varieties of tomatoes, which will have a blue color when they are ripe. This kind of ripe tomatoes will not cause poisoning.
When buying, if you are not sure, you should ask the merchant to make it clear.
If you buy green tomatoes that are not ripe, it is best to leave them for a few days, and then fry them until the skin turns red.
After standing for a few days, the solanine will partially break down as the green tomatoes turn red.
"Eating taboo" rumor 2: Tomatoes are best eaten raw, lycopene is easily decomposed when heated.
The truth: Cooked or cooked is better, raw or raw, and you can eat them alternately.
From the perspective of lycopene intake, it is more effective to eat tomatoes cooked.
Heating aids in the release of lycopene.
Adding a little oil when cooking aids in the transport and absorption of lycopene.
When eating tomatoes cooked, it is necessary to avoid long-term high-temperature heating, which will lead to the loss of many nutrients with poor thermal stability.
From the perspective of ingesting glutathione and vitamin C, it is better to eat raw tomatoes, because glutathione and vitamin C are destroyed to a certain extent in the case of heating.
"Eating taboo" rumor 3: Tomatoes and cucumbers cannot be eaten together, because cucumbers contain substances that destroy vitamin C.
TRUTH: All plants contain vitamin C and elements that promote its growth, so don't worry too much.
Therefore, not only cucumbers contain elements that inhibit vitamin C, but also tomatoes, cabbage, radishes and other vegetables.
Furthermore, if cucumbers have strong substances that destroy vitamin C, why doesn't it destroy the vitamin C in cucumbers in the first place?
Why should it go farther and destroy the vitamin C in tomatoes, but leave the vitamin C in sight?
Therefore, such a statement is completely nonsense, and everyone can eat together with confidence.
Text / Yu Kang
(Professor, Department of Clinical Nutrition, Peking Union Medical College Hospital)