Introduction: If you were to ask what the first home-cooked dish people learned to make is, the answer for many would likely be scrambled eggs with tomatoes. It is a common, everyday dish in many households, yet it possesses surprisingly mysterious benefits!
The nine amazing functions and effects of scrambled eggs with tomatoes:
1. Tomatoes are rich in carotene, vitamins B and C, and are especially the highest among vegetables in vitamin P content. 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.
2. Lycopene contains vitamins and minerals that are protective for the cardiovascular system and can reduce the risk of heart attacks.
Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes
3. Lycopene has special antioxidant capabilities, it can scavenge free radicals, protect cells, and prevent DNA and genes from being damaged, thereby halting the process of cancer. In addition to its preventive effect on prostate cancer, tomatoes can also effectively reduce the risk of developing pancreatic cancer, colorectal cancer, laryngeal cancer, oral cancer, and breast cancer.
4. Tomatoes contain vitamin C, which has the functions and effects of promoting saliva production to quench thirst, strengthening the stomach to aid digestion, cooling the blood to calm the liver, clearing heat and detoxifying, and lowering blood pressure. They are particularly beneficial as an adjunctive treatment for people with high blood pressure and kidney problems. Eating more tomatoes has an anti-aging effect and keeps the skin fair and smooth.
5. The niacin in tomatoes helps maintain the normal secretion of gastric juice, promotes the formation of red blood cells, and is beneficial for maintaining the elasticity of blood vessel walls and protecting the skin. Eating tomatoes also helps prevent and treat arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, and coronary heart disease. Tomatoes are juicy and can promote urination, making them suitable for patients with nephritis as well.
6. An egg is a miracle of nature. A fertilized egg, under the right temperature, can hatch a chick without needing any additional nutrients from the outside, which is enough to prove the nutritional value of an egg.
Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes
7. Eggs are a nutrient-rich food, containing protein, fat, lecithin, yolk, vitamins, and minerals needed by the human body such as iron, calcium, and potassium. Its outstanding advantage is that it contains the finest quality protein found in nature.
8. Eggs are rich in DHA and lecithin, which have a significant effect on the nervous system and physical development. They can boost brain power and intelligence, prevent intellectual decline in the elderly, and improve memory in all age groups. One of the secrets to longevity for many elderly people is eating an egg every day.
9. Scrambled eggs with tomatoes is a great example of nutrient complementarity. While being rich in nutrition, it also has the effects of brain-boosting and anti-aging.
Experiments have proven that eggs have achieved surprisingly remarkable results in preventing and treating atherosclerosis. Eggs contain a relatively high amount of vitamin B2, which can decompose and oxidize carcinogens in the human body. The trace elements in eggs also have anti-cancer effects. Egg protein has a repairing effect on liver tissue damage, and the lecithin in the yolk can promote liver cell regeneration!
Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes
5 Tips to Preserve the Best Nutrition in Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes
Tip 1 for Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes: Typically, we use two eggs and two small tomatoes of this size. The ratio of eggs to tomatoes is very important. If there are too few tomatoes, the scrambled eggs can taste bland, greasy, and dry; if there are too many, it can be too sour, watery, and you won't get to enjoy the scrambled eggs enough. A good ingredient combination is not only the foundation for a delicious flavor but also a guarantee of balanced nutrition.
Tip 2 for Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes: When beating eggs, we need to be careful with our method. "You have to beat them vigorously." When beating eggs, you need to beat them more forcefully, gradually increasing the speed. The tips of the chopsticks should scrape the bottom of the bowl with every stroke, and the chopsticks should be immersed in the eggs as much as possible. When the chopsticks move outside the bowl, almost all the egg should be flung out. And when you stop beating, the surface of the egg should have a lot of foam; only then can it be considered properly beaten.
Tip 3 for Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes: When frying eggs, use more oil and make sure the oil is hot. Pour an amount of oil equal to the eggs into the wok, and once the oil is hot, add the eggs. Before adding the eggs, swirl the wok to coat the bottom with oil, this will prevent the eggs from sticking to the wall. Pour the eggs along the edge of the oil and the wok wall. After the eggs are in the wok, immediately stir them quickly with a spatula or chopsticks; this allows all the eggs to absorb enough oil and be exposed to high heat.
Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes
Tip 4 for Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes: When frying the tomatoes, we can add a little sugar. This can neutralize the acidity of the tomatoes for a better taste. Also, to make use of the juicy nature of tomatoes, try to cut them into orange-segment-sized pieces to get more juice.
Tip 5 for Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes: Turn off the heat before adding salt, and only add it just before serving. This is a secret to making scrambled eggs with tomatoes. You will notice that when you bring the dish to the table, the tomatoes have just released enough, perfectly balanced, and freshly flavorful juice!
How is the nutrition in tomatoes lost during cooking?
Compared to eating raw tomatoes, people who eat cooked tomatoes can increase the concentration of antioxidants like lycopene in their blood. This is because high heat breaks down the cell walls of the tomatoes, thereby increasing the release of antioxidants like lycopene. Furthermore, during the cooking process, vegetable oils like peanut oil or salad oil are often used, and these oils will help the tomatoes naturally release fat-soluble antioxidants like lycopene, fully exerting their antioxidant effects. Of course, every upside has a downside; after heating, the vitamin C content in tomatoes is lost, but the content of lycopene and other antioxidants in tomatoes increases significantly.
Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes
Therefore, cooking tomatoes for too long will cause a loss of nutrition. Cooking should avoid prolonged high-heat to retain more nutrients. When cooking, covering the pot tightly and adding a little vinegar can protect the nutrients from being destroyed by oxygen.
The overall nutritional value of cooked tomatoes is higher than that of raw tomatoes. In addition, the tomato skin contains a large amount of lycopene, so it is best not to peel the tomatoes when eating them.
So, what determines the nutritional value of tomatoes?
The redder the tomato, the higher the nutritional value.
The variety, color, ripeness, sweetness, and even the growing season of tomatoes are all important factors that determine their lycopene content. Yellow varieties of tomatoes contain very little lycopene, only 0.3 mg per 100g; red varieties have a higher content, generally 2-3 mg per 100g, with a maximum of up to 20 mg. Generally, the redder the tomato, the higher the lycopene content. Unripe and semi-ripe green tomatoes have a relatively lower lycopene content. There is also a pink variety of tomato on the market, whose lycopene content is not as high as the red variety.
The lycopene content in tomatoes is negatively correlated with their soluble sugar content. This means that the less sweet a tomato is, the higher its lycopene content. Additionally, tomatoes grown in the summer have a higher lycopene content, mainly because the abundant and long hours of sunlight in summer greatly increase the lycopene content. Tomatoes grown in greenhouses during the winter have a lower lycopene content.
Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes