You can never raid a kitchen without tomatoes. Almost all cuisine around the world uses tomatoes regularly. The sweet and puckering taste of the fruit leaves a trace of savory flavors in every dish. Fruit? Yes, it is botanically categorized as a fruit, yet widely recognized as a vegetable. It can grow in any region and even in the most torrential weathers across the globe. Tomatoes are staples in cooking and even as a home remedy solution to treat certain medical conditions. We can use red and green tomatoes for cooking dishes, making salads, dips, and as garnishes for an excellent food presentation. Green tomatoes vary in taste compared to the usual reds that we commonly use, but still contain some excellent, juicy benefits.
They can be a little tangy or sometimes bland, depending on the ripening process it has undergone. Tomatoes are economically available and you can grow them in your backyard. Wouldn’t it be easy to handpick fresh tomatoes straight from your garden to the kitchen? But just like many fruits and vegetables, what can we get from green tomatoes? Do the health benefits of green tomatoes outweigh the red ones? Here are some of the juicy benefits of green tomatoes:
Green tomatoes are great antioxidants.
These fleshy and round tomatoes are very high in vitamin C and anti-oxidant compounds that have several benefits for overall health and wellness. With all the stress, pollution, and free radicals we get every day, our bodies’ immunity drops at a very low level. This is where the entry and the start of sicknesses from viral-borne factors affect the body and become susceptible to common sickness. The antioxidants are nutritive properties found in green tomatoes are proven to strengthen the immune system and help fight against infections and inflammatory reactions of the body.
These can promote faster wound healing, short sickness durations, and get rid of acute to chronic conditions; such as heart and lung associated diseases. Mix them your salads or sandwiches; or simply have them your cooking companions to create delectable dishes.
If you love green tomatoes, they will love you back.
How old are you, anyway? 30? 40? 50? Well, age doesn’t matter. But contrary to popular belief, age has a significant factor in the human longevity hourglass. These are the age where people get highly at risk with chronic diseases like hypertension, stroke, colon cancer, and heart attack. Unhealthy diets, sedentary living, lack of exercise, stress or shaky emotions, and several factors draw your health to these common fatal conditions. A fiber-rich, low in sodium, and less fat diet can significantly play a big part in the prevention of these ailments.
Green tomatoes have fewer fats, are low in sodium, and are packed with so much fiber. Hence, it’s nature’s natural resource to combat these deadly diseases. The Lycopene found in every fruit aids in the process of skin renewal, heart health, and the prevention of cholesterol build-up around the arteries. The fiber in green tomatoes helps the intestines and stomach to function properly with food digestion and absorb essential vitamins and minerals needed by the body.
Green tomatoes can help you see the good side of the world.
As we age, there are cases where reading, putting on a thread inside the needle, and other activities that require a queer pair of ocular perceivers can be too frustrating. Aging can influence the ocular perception as whereas the retina and the other major ocular components become more desiccated and damaged because of environmental factors and poor eye care and lifestyle. Believe it or not, in a recent study, it’s not only the elderly that suffers poor eyesight. Young children, ages 6 to 12, are exposed to an extravagant amount of screen time with devices that emit harmful UV radiation or blue light that damages the eyesight and leave them with a poor set of binoculars. The eye-friendly benefits of green tomatoes can help repair and restore good vision with the presence of Vitamin A and Beta-carotene. Both are perceived to benefit the eyes and promote sterling sight.
They can save you from burning, literally.
Have you got yourself burned accidentally? Cooking and some heat required chores and gadgets can expose you to scalds and burn most of the time. They can be too painful, and later on, can cause open wounds and severe infections. We can buy topical creams and antimicrobial agents over the counter to prevent further harm. Yet, some of these creams and medicines are way beyond the price which can be very uneconomical. Want to know a hack? One of the healthful benefits of green tomatoes is their anti-inflammatory compounds called bioflavonoids. It acts as an anti-infective agent from the green tomatoes and prevents infection or further skin damage once you use it as a topical remedy for scalds and burns.
Just cut a little portion of the tomato and use the open part that releases the juicy flesh of the fruit, and apply it directly on the affected part. It can also contribute to faster wound healing and fewer chances of scaring. Green tomatoes also help in skin cell repair and regeneration. So always keep them handy in your kitchen for some great culinary wonders and amazing home remedy hacks!
Conclusion
Regular consumption of tomatoes is quite helpful. The health benefits of green tomatoes, in particular, can help us achieve the optimum health we need these days. Consumption of greens and vegetables contributes to a stronger immune system. Green tomatoes are widely available and very economical. Have them grown over your backyard or buy them fresh from your local shops and stores.
I remember back in Spain when we attended the famous tomato festival called La Tomatina; there is a huge crowd having fun throwing and smashing tomatoes! It was a great festive holiday. But I did find the event a bit extreme and I felt like people completely wasted most tomatoes. It should have been great if they had just given them to restaurants for a vast supply. But of course, we should respect traditions and culture.
Green tomatoes pairs well with salads, fried dishes, and even as a simple garnish to your everyday dishes. I just can’t imagine a life without tomatoes!
