This toxin has a carcinogenic risk! It is actually related to the tomatoes you often eat

Tomatoes are rich in nutritional value, eating tomatoes has many benefits, and many people like to eat tomatoes raw.

But recently, there has been a different saying on the Internet: some tomatoes cannot be eaten, they will cause poisoning symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, and may even cause death. It is also said that the nutrition of tomatoes will be doubled if they are cooked!

Is this really the case? Is it better to eat tomatoes raw or cooked?

01

Such tomatoes cannot be eaten!

1. Don’t eat tomatoes with black spots

This black spot is mainly caused by Alternaria fungus , and the toxin it produces is called Alternaria toxin , which poses a carcinogenic risk!

Therefore, you must not eat tomatoes with black spots or rotten parts! Because fungal metabolites, i.e. mycotoxins, can be detected within 2 cm, but it is relatively safe to eat if it is beyond 2 cm.

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2. Don’t eat unripe tomatoes

Unripe tomatoes contain solanine . When we consume too much or accidentally eat solanine, it can cause poisoning symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, and may even cause death.

So which is more nutritious, cooked or raw tomatoes? We must first know what nutrients in tomatoes are good for the body.

02

Three very important nutrients in tomatoes

1. Vitamin C: Antioxidant

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, has strong antioxidant function.

2. Beta carotene: prevents oral cancer and is good for eyesight

An epidemiological survey published in the International Journal of Stomatology showed that based on animal experiments and preliminary clinical trial results, carotene has a potential preventive effect on oral cancer.

Beta carotene is converted into vitamin A in the body, which is good for vision.

3. Lycopene: Anti-oxidation, improves the body's anti-inflammatory ability

Lycopene is a very important antioxidant in the body. It can enhance the body's anti-inflammatory ability and improve the body's immunity.

Lycopene has a positive effect on cardiovascular health and can prevent heart disease and arteriosclerosis; it can remove free radicals in the body that cause aging and disease; it can improve the body's immunity and help delay aging; it can help prevent and improve urinary system diseases such as prostate hyperplasia and prostatitis, and has certain benefits in preventing and treating prostate cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, breast cancer, endometrial cancer and other cancers.

If you want to fully release lycopene, you should pay attention to chopping, high temperature, and contact with oil during cooking.

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03

Which is more nutritious, eating raw or cooked?

Eating tomatoes raw and cooked each has its own advantages, and different ways of eating can obtain different nutrients.

Want to get vitamin C: the best way is to eat it raw;

If you want to get lycopene and beta-carotene: the best way is to eat it cooked. The recommended cooking time is controlled within 2 minutes.

The recommended storage temperature for tomatoes is 10℃ ~ 13℃. If you want to eat them raw to get vitamin C, do not place them in a place with too high temperature or direct sunlight, as this will affect the vitamin C content.

Note: Red tomatoes are best for disease prevention.

In terms of varieties, red tomatoes have the highest lycopene content.

In terms of maturity, the more mature the tomatoes are, the higher the lycopene content is, so it is recommended that you buy red and ripe tomatoes .

The lycopene content in tomatoes available in summer is relatively high. This is mainly because the summer sunshine is abundant and the sunshine time is long, which greatly increases the lycopene content.

04

Cherry tomatoes

More nutritious?

The popular cherry tomato, officially known in Chinese as "cherry tomato".

From the comparison of experimental data, its nutritional value is indeed slightly better than that of tomatoes. The content of vitamin C, vitamin E and lycopene in cherry tomatoes is slightly higher than that in tomatoes.

Note: Tomatoes are very healthy food and a very important part of food combination, but don't rely on a single nutrient in a particular food to solve various health problems.

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05

Summarize

Although tomatoes are good, for some people, eating too much and too frequently can have obvious side effects on the human body.

It should be noted that people who are allergic to tomatoes, suffer from renal dysfunction, irritable bowel syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease/heartburn, urinary incontinence, cystitis, migraines, and those who are prone to stomach and abdominal pain should eat less tomatoes.

Review | Li Nannan Director of Hunan Science Writers Association, Deputy Director of Research and Publicity Department of Hunan Science and Technology Association, Second-level Researcher, Chinese Science Writer (Medical Field)

Source: CCTV Life Circle

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