Mr. Zhao, an elderly gentleman from Hefei, Anhui, is a long-time sufferer of coronary heart disease. In the past, his heart condition would often flare up, forcing him to frequently visit the hospital. However, in the last two years, the elderly gentleman has rarely had to set foot in a hospital again. The secret to this, he says, is regularly drinking tomato and egg soup.
In fact, Mr. Zhao is not the only one; many patients with coronary heart disease have also benefited greatly from this. These long-term patients are able to safely get through the summer not only by adhering to active treatment and observing lifestyle restrictions, but also by their fondness for tomato and egg soup.
During the hot summer, the body sweats more, leading to a lack of internal moisture, which increases blood viscosity and the risk of thrombosis, making ischemic diseases more likely. Because tomatoes are rich in lycopene, they can prevent the recurrence of coronary heart disease. One study showed that people with high concentrations of lycopene in their bodies have nearly a 50% lower probability of having a heart attack compared to others. Furthermore, lycopene can prevent low-density lipoprotein from clogging blood vessels, and the flavonoids in tomatoes, which have anti-thrombotic properties, can also prevent the formation of blood clots. Therefore, it is recommended that coronary heart disease patients eat more tomatoes to reduce the risk of their condition recurring.
How can one eat tomatoes to absorb more lycopene? It requires some effort in selecting and cooking the tomatoes.
1. When buying tomatoes at the market, choose fresh, fully red ones, as the redder the color, the higher the lycopene content.
2. The skin contains a higher concentration of lycopene, so it should be eaten along with the skin to intake more lycopene.
3. Since lycopene is fat-soluble, it must be cooked with oil to be naturally released and more effectively absorbed by the body. Therefore, when making soup, you can first stir-fry the tomatoes in oil before adding water. This makes the tomato and egg soup easier to absorb.
It should be noted that in the hot summer, many people enjoy chilling tomatoes in the refrigerator after making them into a cold salad. While this improves the texture, it increases the risk of triggering a medical condition. Because consuming food that is too cold can cause blood vessels to constrict, raise blood pressure, and increase the burden on the heart, which is not beneficial for elderly heart patients.
Additionally, it is best to drink tomato and egg soup regularly, especially in the summer. If you have tomato and egg soup with every meal, you can maintain a high level of lycopene in your body.