Vegetable Garden

Secret Tomato Benefits for Weight Loss and a Healthy Body

To help you along your journey to good health its worth knowing the latest research about tomato benefits (and there are a few) so that doing something as easy as growing tomatoes in your vegetable patch and including them in your salad lunch may be all it takes to stay healthy and even, it appears, trim.

Research conducted at Reading University in the UK, has revealed that tomatoes are fruits that appear to contain chemicals that affect the hormones connected to our appetite.  This means that along with other tomato benefits they help us to feel ‘full’ after we’ve eaten them.

If you want to reduce your hunger pangs, especially during snacks between meals, grab a juicy, ripe tomato especially if it tastes as good as those you grow yourself!  So, how do we know this?

The tomato research was based on the inclusion of three different fillings in white bread sandwiches.  The investigation set out to identify foods that would improve the fiber content in this meal by including fruit and vegetables.   Women aged between 18 and 35, ate either cream cheese, carrot or tomato filled sandwiches.  Which sandwich was the most filling? The outcomes were surprising!

The research program ensured that participants ate these different sandwiches randomly and measured how full they felt after eating sandwiches with each filling. They expected the fiber in grated carrots to be the most satisfying but were interested to discover that tomato sandwiches best kept the hunger of participants at bay. 

Although the initial study size was small, the results were quite clear and encouraging.  Tomato filling was the winner!

Further investigation about the ingredient in this fruit that causes its inclusion in the many health-related tomato benefits shows that the component in tomatoes responsible for reducing our appetite may be lycopene.  Lycopene is responsible for the redness of tomatoes and it’s suggested that it combats cancer, increases fertility and contributes to the development of a healthy heart.

Tomato benefits don’t just stop there.  Tomatoes contain large proportions of Vitamin C and assist our body’s healing capacity.  They also help us absorb iron and eating tomatoes may protect us against sunburn and contribute to healthy skin as we age.

With all these benefits, who wouldn’t grow tomatoes in their veggie patch for as much of every year as possible?

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