There are many varieties of tomatoes, and if you're feeling confused when choosing, you might consider selecting them by color.
Those with a deep red color are rich in lycopene, which is very beneficial for preventing cancer.
Orange tomatoes contain less lycopene but have a higher content of carotene.
Pink tomatoes contain a small amount of lycopene but very little carotene.
Light yellow tomatoes contain a small amount of carotene and no lycopene.
If you need to meet your Vitamin C requirements, any type of tomato will do; the key is to choose fresh, seasonal, and flavorful ones. However, if you want to supplement with antioxidants like lycopene and carotene, you should choose deep red or orange tomatoes, rather than pink or light yellow ones.
The most wonderful component in tomatoes is lycopene, which is famous for its powerful antioxidant properties and cancer-preventing functions. Along with lycopene, red tomatoes also contain some carotene, which is good for the eyes and skin. Both of these health components are "fat-soluble," meaning they love oil, so stir-frying tomatoes or making soup are excellent methods, while eating them raw results in very low absorption rates.
If you are eating tomatoes to get Vitamin C, potassium, and dietary fiber, then it doesn't matter whether you eat them raw or cooked. Tomatoes themselves are quite acidic, which helps stabilize Vitamin C, so the loss after cooking is relatively small. Potassium and dietary fiber are not affected by heat.
However, tomatoes are considered "cool" in nature. People with weak spleens and stomachs, or who are prone to diarrhea, should control their intake of raw tomatoes and it's best to eat them cooked. People trying to lose weight by eating tomatoes should also be careful: when very hungry, eating a raw tomato might actually make you hungrier! In this case, a bowl of tomato and egg soup would be a better choice. Although it's very low in calories, it can satisfy a hungry stomach.
Here, I recommend a "delicious tomato and egg soup" for those who want to lose weight: Place a large bowl of cold water in a pot, add a sliced tomato, and half a spoonful of sesame oil. Bring to a boil. Then add a little salt and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the beaten egg while quickly stirring. Finally, garnish with a little chopped green onion or cilantro, or add some chicken essence, and it's done! This way, the tomato's flavor is fully infused into the soup, making it very satisfying to drink. At the same time, lycopene and carotene can be absorbed without irritating the stomach. The best part is that this soup can keep you feeling full for a long time. A large bowl of this soup has only 120 kilocalories, equivalent to one apple and one orange, but its nutritional value is much higher.