What are the benefits of eating raw tomatoes? Tomatoes are a very common food, but do you really know how to eat them? Many people eat tomatoes regularly without knowing this. Do you love tomatoes? Do you know how to eat tomatoes to get the most nutrition? Today, I'll take you to uncover the right way to eat tomatoes.
Tomatoes, also known as tomatoes, are one of the most common foods in daily life. As summer arrives, the bright red tomatoes bring us a delicious, sweet and sour, juicy, and soft treat.
Tomatoes are rich in nutrition and are full of lycopene, known as the "natural warehouse of lycopene." Lycopene has the strongest effect of eliminating active oxygen and can help prevent various epithelial cancers such as prostate and lung cancer. So, how should we eat tomatoes in our daily lives to healthily absorb lycopene?
How should tomatoes be eaten?
Lycopene is a fat-soluble nutrient, and consuming it with fat can promote its absorption by the human body. Stir-fried tomatoes with eggs is a great choice, as it can increase the complementarity of nutrients.
Eggs are very oily foods. Many people first stir-fry the eggs and then stir-fry the tomatoes. This method uses oil twice, which undoubtedly increases the intake of oil. Here, I'll introduce an oil-saving way to make stir-fried tomatoes with eggs.
After cutting the tomatoes into pieces, put oil in the pan. When the oil is hot (about 70-80% heated), add the cut tomatoes and stir-fry until they soften, release their juices, and become a mushy consistency. Pour in the beaten egg mixture, cover the pan, and do not stir. Once the eggs have solidified from liquid to solid, use a spatula to cut them a few times, add seasonings, and it's done. This method reduces the amount of oil used and tastes great.
Although this method of stir-frying tomatoes can greatly promote the absorption of lycopene, it doesn't mean that the human body cannot absorb lycopene from raw tomatoes. As long as you consume lipids within 2 hours of eating raw tomatoes, absorption is possible. All the food we eat is eventually digested and absorbed in the small intestine, so as long as there are lipids present in the small intestine, lycopene from raw tomatoes can also be absorbed by the body.
How to select tomatoes?
1. Look
Naturally ripe tomatoes often have a green and red calyx, and the fruit is generally smooth. Choose tomatoes that are deeply and evenly red, shiny, and have no obvious yellow spots.
2. Feel
Use your hand to gently squeeze. Tomatoes that are slightly soft and firm are naturally ripe.
3. Observe the inside
When you break a tomato open, artificially ripened tomatoes often have few or no seeds, and the flesh is juicy. Naturally ripe tomatoes have pale yellow seeds, red flesh, and are very juicy.