Tomatoes are one of the most common vegetables, and people usually enjoy them, whether eaten raw or in a simple home-cooked dish like scrambled eggs with tomatoes. Tomatoes are rich in carotene, vitamins B and C, and their content of vitamin P is the highest among all vegetables. The ingredients they contain, such as vitamin C, sugars, and rutin, have effects like preventing scurvy, moisturizing the skin, protecting blood vessels, lowering blood pressure, and aiding digestion. However, when eating tomatoes, it's also important to note that they should not be eaten with the following foods, as it can harm your health.
1. It is not advisable to eat them with cucumbers at the same time
Many restaurants have a dish called "Great Harvest," which combines different vegetables like carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers to be eaten raw with a dip. While eating vegetables raw is indeed beneficial for preserving nutrients, the presence of cucumbers in this dish significantly reduces its nutritional value.
Why is it best to avoid cucumbers in the "Great Harvest"? Because cucumbers contain an enzyme that breaks down vitamin C, which can destroy the rich vitamin C in other vegetables. The tomatoes in the "Great Harvest" are a typical example of a vegetable rich in vitamin C. If the two are eaten together, the vitamin C we absorb from the tomatoes is then broken down by the enzyme in the cucumbers, and we completely fail to achieve the nutritional supplement effect.
2. It is not advisable to eat them when taking anticoagulant drugs such as heparin and dicoumarol
Tomatoes contain a relatively high amount of vitamin K. Vitamin K's main function is to catalyze the synthesis of prothrombin and thrombokinase in the liver; the minimum requirement for dogs is 30ug/kg body weight. When there is a deficiency of vitamin K, the synthesis of prothrombin is restricted, leading to prolonged clotting time and causing subcutaneous and muscle bleeding.
3. It is not advisable to eat a large amount of tomatoes on an empty stomach
Because tomatoes contain relatively high amounts of pectin, fruit matter, and persimmon tannin, these components can easily bind with stomach acid to form lumpy stones, causing abdominal bloating and pain. Tomatoes contain a large amount of soluble astringents and other components that react with stomach acid to form insoluble lumps. These hard masses can block the pylorus, the exit of the stomach, causing discomfort symptoms such as bloating and pain in the stomach and intestines.
4. It is not advisable to eat unripe tomatoes
Unripe green tomatoes contain solanine, which can cause a bitter taste in the mouth and stomach discomfort after consumption; eating too much can lead to poisoning. It is reported that green tomatoes contain glycoalkaloids (solanine) in the form of needle-like crystals, which are very stable to alkali but can be hydrolyzed by acid. Therefore, eating unripe green tomatoes often leads to discomfort, with mild cases causing a bitter taste in the mouth and severe cases leading to poisoning symptoms. This is especially true when green tomatoes start to rot, as their solanine is destroyed. Once a green tomato turns red, it no longer contains solanine.
5. It is not advisable to eat them after prolonged heating
Prolonged cooking causes them to lose their original nutrients and flavor. Eating tomatoes that have already spoiled can lead to food poisoning.
6. Patients with acute gastroenteritis or acute bacterial dysentery should not eat tomatoes
7. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis may find their condition worsens if they eat too many tomatoes
8. It is contraindicated to eat tomatoes when taking neostigmine or galantamine