How Healthy Are Tomatoes? In These Cases Rather Harmful

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How healthy are tomatoes really?

Tomatoes not only look appetizing and are versatile. They are also very healthy – if you tolerate them.

Tomatoes contain the secondary plant substance lycopene. According to several studies, this component is said to protect against cardiovascular disease because it lowers the “bad” LDL cholesterol in the blood. In addition, lycopene scavenges free radicals.
Incidentally, the carotenoid lycopene is absorbed even better when cooked. Since carotenoids are fat-soluble, a drop of oil should always be included.
The tasty vegetable is rich in vitamin C and also provides a lot of potassium in addition to many other minerals and trace elements.
Figure-conscious people will gladly reach for the tomato. With only 18 calories per 100 grams, the tomato is a lightweight in terms of calories. No wonder: the vegetable consists of 90 percent water.

Tomatoes belong to the nightshade family. These naturally contain toxins that not everyone can tolerate.

All nightshade plants contain toxic alkaloids, including tomatoes. Incidentally, these alkaloids also include the nicotine of the tobacco plant or the atropine of the deadly nightshade. Nightshade vegetables such as potatoes, aubergines and tomatoes contain the alkaloid solanine.
The tomato’s solanine is tomatine. Solanine can cause persistent muscle contractions and spasms, as well as muscle tightness and stiffness. In addition, solanine can destroy the cell walls in the intestinal wall.
In nightshade plants, including tomatoes, there is also calcitrol, a form of vitamin D and responsible for regulating calcium absorption in the body. If you eat too many nightshade plants, more calcium is absorbed through the intestines and released into the blood. This excess calcium then accumulates in the body. The consequences can be arteriosclerosis, pain and arthritis.
Lectins protect nightshades from insects and fungi. In humans, these lectins act as “anti-nutrients”. This means that they hinder the absorption of other nutrients, but have little or no nutritional value of their own.

Tomatoes are healthy for some, bad for others.

Not everyone is equally receptive to tomato lectins and alkaloids. An intact intestine with a healthy intestinal flora allows significantly fewer of these toxins to enter our body.
In addition, the harmful effects of lectins are closely related to the human blood group. More specifically, they respond to specific antigens. The A antigen of blood group A and the B antigen of blood group B are affected. Here the lectins can lead to metabolic disorders.
Intestinal diseases, but also arthritis and joint stiffness can result if your body cannot cope with nightshade plants. Unspecific signs such as weather sensitivity or insomnia can also point to this.
If you suffer from the symptoms mentioned, do not eat tomatoes – but also other nightshade plants such as potatoes, aubergines or peppers.