We are yet to cross paths with someone who doesn’t want to enjoy the famous La Tomatina festival once in their lifetime. Tomatoes are easy to grow and are found across the globe. Since the red fruit belongs to a toxic plant family called nightshade, people in the United States considered it poisonous around 200 years ago. But now, it is among the top-selling fresh-market vegetables across the globe.
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.”
Miles Kington
- Sow a few tomato seeds, and the plants will give you hundreds of fresh tomatoes from summer right till the Autumn. If you plan to grow this prolific plant in your backyards this season, here are some interesting facts about tomatoes to stoke up your interest.
- You are not alone if you’re thinking of sowing tomato seeds. A whopping 93% of gardeners in America grow tomatoes.
- Tomatoes are rich in lycopene and lutein. These essential carotenoids effectively protect our eyes against any light-induced damage. It is by far the richest source of lycopene that contributes to a healthy prostate gland in men.
- As mentioned earlier, tomato is not a vegetable but a fruit since it is not a root, stem, or leaf but the edible part of the plant with seeds. It has been classified into vegetables since the 1890s by the US supreme court for taxation purposes.
- With over 10,000 varieties available, don’t expect a tomato always to be red in colour. In fact, you can find it in purple, yellow, white, pink, black, and more colours.
- Tomato juice was named the official state beverage of Ohio, and tomato is also the official state vegetable of New Jersey.
- According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the heaviest tomato weighs 10 lb 12.7 oz, which translates to 4.896 kg.
Why Do They Matter?
Highly rich in Vitamin C and several other antioxidants, tomatoes are great at preventing the formation of free radicals. A study from Molecular Cancer Research found that consuming adequate beta-carotene (tomatoes) can prevent the formation of cancer-developing free radicals. Both lycopene and beta-carotene contribute to prostate cancer prevention.
While low sodium intake is excellent for maintaining healthful blood pressure, high potassium intake also expands arteries and helps with the same.
The red fruit is rich in healthy nutrients, including potassium, choline, fibre, and vitamin C, and all of them support a heart. These fantastic nutrients are perfect for the heart and contribute to getting rid of diabetes, skin issues, eye health, and more.
