Today, tomatoes are widely recognized as a vegetable with strong anti-disease, anti-cancer, and anti-aging properties. However, many people prefer to peel them before eating due to concerns about pesticides.
What they don't realize is that tomatoes belong to the Solanaceae family and have the least amount of pesticide residue among all vegetables. Therefore, there is no need to worry excessively about pesticide residue. Moreover, because the tomato skin is very thin, it has almost no effect on the release of lycopene from the flesh during processing or consumption. On the contrary, the intentional peeling process can cause lycopene to be easily lost with the juice. Additionally, the tomato skin is rich in dietary fiber, which helps maintain intestinal health after consumption.
Speaking of lycopene, consuming 5-10 milligrams per day is sufficient to effectively gain anti-cancer and anti-aging benefits. Besides eating tomatoes directly, you can also frequently use tomato paste, ketchup, and tomato sauce to cook dishes. Dishes cooked with tomato paste are not only colorful and delicious but also help preserve vitamin C in the food, truly killing two birds with one stone.
Using small tomatoes like cherry tomatoes, watermelon, and papaya as snacks, it is best to pair them with yogurt to make a tasty dessert. This helps utilize the small amount of fat in yogurt to increase the absorption rate of lycopene. Watermelon and papaya are also very rich in lycopene.
Tomato and Egg Drop Soup