What are the Health Benefits of Tomato Juice?

Fruit juices are always considered to be one of the healthiest beverages that we have. Aside from their high nutrient value, fruit juices are also known for their great taste and thirst-quenching benefits. However, when it comes to maintaining health, no other drink can be compared with the wonderful health benefits of the tomato juice. What is tomato juice and what are the health benefits of tomato juice?

Putting Tomato Juice under the Spotlight

Tomato juice is simply the extracted juice or fluid from fresh tomatoes. Tomato is classified as one of the most common and popular types of fruit-vegetables. This popularity is due to the tomato’s various health benefits for the body. This type of vegetable can be added or included in different kinds of dishes and can be used in a variety of ways. However, one of the most common preparations of this vegetable is in juice form. Because of this, tomato juice is known to be a nutritious drink with many health benefits. But what are these benefits?

Advantages of Tomato Juice

Lycopene

Lycopene is defined as a main organic compound found in the tomato. This compound is the one responsible of giving the tomatoes its red color and is also found to have many antioxidants and anticancer properties. Lycopene acts as an antioxidant by protecting the cells and as well as the other organs from oxygen damage. This compound from tomatoes is also capable of protecting the DNA in the white blood cells or WBC. It is also effective against malignant growth or cancer such as colorectal, prostate, lung, breast and pancreatic cancer.

Vitamins and Minerals

Aside from lycopene, tomato juice is also rich in vitamins and minerals. These include vitamins A and C. In fact, a cup of tomato juice can already provide us with up to 74% of our daily recommended value of vitamin C and 2 % of vitamin A. These vitamins are useful in improving the body’s immune system in order to destroy free radicals found in the blood stream that are capable of damaging the cells. Other vitamins that can be acquired from consuming tomato juice include vitamins K, B1, B2, B3, B5 and B6. Tomato juice is also rich in essential minerals such as potassium, iron, magnesium and phosphorus. These substances are also very vital in maintaining the proper functioning of the cells and tissues of the body.

Aids against Bad Cholesterol

Tomato juice is also rich in natural substances that help combat the increase of bad cholesterol in the body. For one, tomato juice is a very good source of fiber, which is very effective in breaking down the LDL (low-density lipoprotein or the bad cholesterol) in the body. In addition to this, the B3 or niacin vitamin found in tomato juice is also used as a natural way of treating high cholesterol. Because of these, tomato juice is definitely an excellent remedy against high cholesterol.

Heart Disease

Another wonderful benefit of tomato juice is its effects in reducing the risk of certain type of heart diseases. The vitamin B6 that is naturally found in tomatoes helps in the breaking down of a compound called homocystene into other molecules that are considered harmless. Homocyctene is a known compound that is capable of damaging the blood vessel walls which causes various types of cardiovascular diseases. With the regular consumption of tomato juice, this compound can be significantly reduced thus decreasing as well the possibility of heart diseases.

Other Benefits of Tomato Juice

Since tomato juice is said to be rich in vitamin C and potassium, it is also considered a good drink for pregnant women in order to provide more nutrients to their unborn child. Raw tomato juice is also effective in improving the appetite and digestion. Drinking this along with spinach juice can help activate the liver and relieve or prevent the occurrence of constipation. Aside from these, tomato juice can also be used in order to decrease hangover severity. 100 ml of tomato juice can be added with 100 ml of cucumber juice, 10 ml of spinach juice and 1 teaspoon of olive oil in order to make a cocktail. This cocktail must be consumed before going to sleep. What is even better with tomato juice is that it does not produce any side effects and it can be drunk in large quantities. Nevertheless, some experts think that tomato juice must be avoided for those with gall bladder diseases.

These are just some of the health benefits that we can get from drinking tomato juice. Some of us say that tomato juice tastes really awful. However, knowing all the nutrients and benefits in store for us in consuming tomato juice, we can definitely consider the taste worth it.

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