Tomato: Is tomato a fruit or a vegetable? this will surprise you
To speak of vegetables is to refer to endless varieties with different flavors and textures that we can incorporate into all kinds of recipes. This large group of foods also provides us with many nutrients and vitamins , making them essential in our diet.
But, if there is a vegetable that is used par excellence in practically all recipes, that is the tomato . Both in sauces, as raw in salads or as an accompaniment to meat or fish, there are many ways to prepare it and always with many benefits for our health.
However, there has always been a debate about the tomato and its origin: is it a fruit or a vegetable? If you want to know what type of product it is and why, we advise you to continue reading.
What is the tomato: a fruit or a vegetable?
The tomato is, without a doubt, one of the star products of the Mediterranean diet. This is due to its great versatility and also because it is one of the most beneficial foods for our health.
It helps us prevent heart problems by regulating our blood pressure , fights against cellular aging thanks to its antioxidants and also helps us eliminate toxins that accumulate in our body.
But do you know what kind of food it really is? The truth is that many doubts have always arisen about whether the tomato is a fruit or a vegetable, but its use in the kitchen has always made us think that we are dealing with a vegetable .
However, the fact that we include it in stews, salads and another series of recipes more related to the field of vegetables and less to that of fruits, does not imply that it really belongs to the family.
In fact, if we refer to the definition of fruit itself, we can see that it refers to the edible part of the plants that contain seeds, so, as we can see, at the botanical level, the tomato really belongs to this group. So, as with the avocado , despite its gastronomic use, we are faced with a product that is a fruit and not a vegetable.
5 tomato properties you should know
As you have just seen, the tomato has a double classification that varies depending on whether we are referring to gastronomic or botanical criteria. But, either way, this fruit has 5 extremely important health benefits that you should know about:
- Delays cell aging. Containing many antioxidants, tomatoes help us fight free radicals, which are the main cause of cell aging and the appearance of tumors.
- Protect eye health. The tomato contains vitamin C that helps us take care of our eye health by keeping it in optimal conditions.
- Prevents heart attacks. It contains sodium, which works to lower our blood pressure while helping to give our blood vessels more elasticity to prevent the onset of heart disease tomorrow.
- It helps us lose weight. It has a very low caloric content, so it is ideal when we want to carry out a diet in which we aim to lose weight.
- Take care of our skin. All the antioxidants present in this fruit are essential to make our skin look much more beautiful, cared for and smooth.
The benefits of consuming tomato are many and it is also a fruit that combines perfectly with any recipe, so we encourage you to include it in your diet if you have not already done so in order to enjoy all its nutrients.
