So, if you think of tomatoes as just another garnish for your burger, think again. The humble plum tomato is a powerhouse of good health, and here’s why.

1. Protein in Tomatoes Boosts Your Metabolism

The reason tomatoes feature so heavily in diet menus isn’t that they’re full of water. Like all protein, the protein in tomatoes helps to soothe hunger pangs and helps kick your metabolism into high gear.

In this way, eating tomatoes helps you to maintain a healthy weight which is vital for side-stepping cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

As the building block of cells, protein is vital to human functioning. It’s used to make important hormones and enzymes. It also supports healthy bone, muscle, skin, cartilage, and blood development.

Thanks to their protein content, tomatoes are also a great addition to any vegan or vegetarian diet.

2. Tomatoes Lower Your Blood Pressure

Lycopene is the superhero carotenoid found in ripe tomatoes. It’s proven to reduce blood pressure in patients with mild to moderate hypertension.

The plum tomatoes used to manufacture rich tomato sauce and ketchup are a good source of lycopene. What are plum tomatoes? It turns out they’re the type of tomatoes that we eat most of all.

These juicy fruits are specifically cultivated for the sauce industry. Thanks to them, you can still enjoy tomato-ey goodness if you dislike tomatoes in their usual form.

Lycopene fights oxidative stress by binding free radicals and may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis too.

3. They Protect Heart Health

Reduced blood pressure, automatically decrease your chances of developing stroke and heart disease.

Lycopene is also linked to reduced death rates in patients with metabolic syndrome which can lead to heart disease and stroke.

To reap the best benefits of lycopene, doctors recommend eating whole tomatoes instead of taking lycopene capsules.

4. Tomatoes May Be a Defence Against Cancer

Apart from its many other benefits, lycopene is also an effective first line of defense against certain cancers like prostate cancer.

Vitamin C found in tomatoes is a powerful antioxidant that helps defeat cancer-causing free-radicals.

Research has proved that the Beta-carotene in tomatoes helps prevent tumor development and can reduce the risk of colon cancer.

So far, studies have shown that people who eat a lot of tomatoes are less prone to stomach, ovarian, lung, and prostate cancer. Further research is underway to understand these links and their role in the fight against cancer.

5. They’re Full of Vitamins

Just one tomato is enough to satisfy almost half of your daily vitamin C needs. Apart from its cancer-fighting benefits Vitamin C is a well-known immunity booster.

Tomatoes are also full of other important vitamins like Vitamin K for bone health and Vitamin A which promotes immunity, skin health, and eyesight