When it comes to tomatoes, the first dishes that come to mind are tomato and egg stir-fry, or sugar-dressed tomatoes. But eating them this way all the time is a real "disservice" to the tomato. As one of the most nutritious and cheapest vegetables on the market, tomatoes actually go well with many other dishes.
Tomatoes paired with 4 other dishes are very nutritious
Tomatoes and Braised Eggplant
The most frustrating thing about cooking eggplant is that it soaks up oil easily. But with tomatoes, it's a different story. This dish combines the acidity of the tomato with the tenderness of the eggplant, merging the nutrients of the two. It not only removes the greasiness of braised eggplant but also neutralizes the acidity of the tomato, making it delicious and visually appealing.
Tomatoes and Cauliflower Stir-fry
This dish is especially suitable for the elderly and is a great appetizer. Tomatoes aid digestion and promote salivation, while cauliflower is rich in potassium, calcium, folic acid, and selenium, and is an excellent source of fiber. It also helps with digestion, stimulates the appetite, and prevents constipation.
Tomatoes and Potato Slices
This dish can help prevent high blood pressure because both ingredients share a common characteristic: they are rich in potassium. Potassium helps excrete sodium from the blood, which has a blood pressure-lowering, diuretic, and anti-swelling effect. It is beneficial as an adjunctive treatment for high blood pressure and kidney disease.
Tomatoes and Shrimp Stir-fry
Shrimp has a soft texture that is easy to digest, and its protein content is several to tens of times higher than that of fish, eggs, and milk. When stir-fried with eggs and tomatoes, the shrimp is snow-white, the eggs are tender yellow, and the tomatoes are bright red, creating a beautiful color, balanced nutrition, and a delicious taste. It also helps strengthen the spleen and whet the appetite.
However, there are some taboos when eating tomatoes:
No1 It is best not to eat them with cucumbers
Cucumbers contain an enzyme that breaks down vitamin C, which can destroy the rich vitamin C content in other vegetables. Tomatoes are a typical vegetable rich in vitamin C. If eaten together, the vitamin C absorbed from the tomatoes is destroyed by the enzyme in the cucumbers, making it impossible to achieve the desired nutritional supplement effect.
No2 Not suitable for consumption when taking anticoagulant drugs such as heparin and coumarin
Tomatoes contain a relatively high amount of vitamin K. Vitamin K's main role is to catalyze the synthesis of prothrombin and thrombokinase in the liver. The minimum requirement for dogs is 30ug/kg body weight. When vitamin K is insufficient, the synthesis of prothrombin is restricted, prolonging clotting time and causing subcutaneous and muscle bleeding.
No3 Not suitable for consumption on an empty stomach
Tomatoes contain a large amount of soluble astringents and other components that react with stomach acid, forming insoluble lumps. 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 fine because the stomach acid has already mixed with other food and is less concentrated, so it will not react with the aforementioned colloids.
No4 Not suitable for consumption when unripe
Green tomatoes contain solanine glycosides (solanine), which are in the form of needle-like crystals. They are very stable in alkali but can be hydrolyzed by acid. Therefore, eating unripe green tomatoes often causes discomfort, ranging from a bitter taste in the mouth to poisoning in severe cases. Solanine is destroyed when green tomatoes begin to rot. Once the green tomatoes turn red, they no longer contain solanine.