Tomatoes, one of the most nutritious and cheapest vegetables on the market, are beloved by many. However, there are some taboos associated with eating tomatoes. Let's talk about a few situations when you should not eat tomatoes:
No1 It is best not to eat tomatoes with cucumbers. Cucumbers contain an enzyme that breaks down vitamin C, which can destroy the abundant vitamin C in other vegetables. Tomatoes are a prime example of a vegetable rich in vitamin C. If the two are eaten together, the vitamin C absorbed from the tomatoes is broken down by the enzyme in the cucumbers, making it impossible to achieve the nutritional supplement effect.
No2 It is not advisable to eat tomatoes when taking anticoagulant drugs such as heparin and coumarin. 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, and the minimum requirement is 30ug/kg of 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.
No3 It is not advisable to eat tomatoes on an empty stomach. Tomatoes contain a large amount of soluble tannins and other components that react with stomach acid to form insoluble, clumpy masses. These hard lumps can block the pylorus, the exit of the stomach, causing discomfort such as bloating and pain. Eating tomatoes after a meal is generally not a problem, as the stomach acid has already mixed with many other foods, reducing its concentration and preventing it from reacting with the aforementioned colloids.
No4 It is not advisable to eat unripe tomatoes. Green tomatoes contain solanine, which appears as needle-shaped crystals. It is very stable in alkaline environments but can be broken down by acid. Therefore, eating unripe green tomatoes often leads to discomfort. Mild cases may leave a bitter taste in the mouth, while severe cases can lead to poisoning. The solanine is destroyed when green tomatoes begin to rot. Once the green tomatoes turn red, they no longer contain solanine.