Tomatoes are useful in treating and protecting against disorders of the Immune System, Skin, hair and eyes, Heart and Circulatory System and Reproductive System.
Tomatoes are used to treat disorders like high blood pressure, fluid retention, cancer, skin problems, fertility problems.
Tomatoes are the most popular fruit in Britain, we eat an average of 6 kilos per person per year. That’s just as well as they’re extremely rich in antioxidants, especially carotenoids like betacarotene and lycopene, as well as vitamins C and E, making them good protectors of the cardiovascular system and against some cancers. Also extremely low in sodium and quite rich in potassium so they are helpful in conditions like high blood pressure and fluid retention.
Canned tomatoes lose very little of their nutrients and actually contain even more of the heart protective lycopene.
Nutrients
Tomato allergy is more common than generally realised, but most people who react to tomato are actually reacting to the seeds or skin. Try removing these and making home-made tomato pastes and sauces from the pulp to see if you can tolerate it. Cheap tins of Italian plum tomatoes are a good source, where the seeds are easily separated and the skins already removed.
Tomatoes are a member of the Nightshade family and, as such, contain a compound called Solanine which has an inflammatory effect. It is normally destroyed in the digestive system; however, some researchers have claimed that consumption of foods containing Solanine could make symptoms of inflammatory diseases such as Osteoarthritis worse in some people.