Health benefits of tomatoes

Tomatoes are present is most of the dishes we consume it has a lot of healthy properties. Lycopene is a very popular antioxidant, it is a carotenoid found in tomatoes that has anticancer properties. High level of carotenoids in your body indicates good health as they detox your body from harmful free radicals.

According to scientific studies, the increase of lycopene in your diet helps against oxidation of LDL (bad cholesterol) thus lowering the risk for cardiovascular diseases. A cup of tomato juice or 3 to 4 tablespoons of tomato paste consumed daily will do the fix.

Tomatoes are also rich in vitamin C and E and the antioxidant flavonol which coupled with lycopene act to optimize health status by lowering toxins in the body. Lycopene is better absorbed when tomatoes are cooked however favor homemade tomato soups as canned soups and ketchup contain high level of sodium that can cause hypertension if not monitored properly. Lycopene is also found in berries, beets, papaya and red peppers mainly in red colored foods.

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