The virtues of the tomato, a wholesome vegetable

The evolution and progress of the common-or-garden tomato as a necessary ingredient of our each day eating regimen internationally is a captivating story. Yolanda Evans writes within the June 5, 2025, situation of Nationwide Geographic journal in regards to the rise in tomatoes with fable and folklore and the way tomatoes weren’t all the time a beloved ingredient.

As soon as deemed sinful, pungent, and “poison apples”, they have been linked to superstition and sickness, partly as a consequence of their response with lead in copper-based dinnerware. The usage of a extra applicable vessel by farmers from Salem, New Jersey, to cook dinner tomatoes shifted public opinion within the US.

Tomatoes weren’t native to India however delivered to us by the Portuguese merchants within the fifteenth century. They have been then adopted by the British colonisers within the sixteenth century who began rising them throughout the nation and added them to their menu. However the individuals have been nonetheless cautious of it. Because the unbiased journalist Ms. Sohel Sarkar has written, in 1938 the doctor Dr Tara Chitale and her colleagues tried to persuade individuals about the advantages of  utilizing tomatoes to treatment frequent chilly, scurvy, and iron deficiency, however the response was lukewarm.

The change lastly transpired when an increasing number of inputs got here from travellers who really helpful tomatoes in our eating regimen, and consultants from the Nationwide Institute of Vitamin in India identified the significance of nutritional vitamins and minerals in our each day eating regimen and the way tomatoes are wealthy in them.

Well being advantages

Plant biologists classify tomato as a fruit. The advantages that tomatoes supply to our each day well being have been described amongst others by the dietitian and public well being specialist Ms. Cynthia Saas of California. Allow us to spotlight a few of these. Tomatoes are wealthy sources of antioxidants that provide well being advantages for the center and mind. They’ve vitamins that cut back the danger issue for coronary heart illness considerably. Elevated tomato consumption decreases hypertension, a noteworthy level for senior residents. The cellulose fibre content material in tomatoes helps to stop constipation. The purple carotenoid pigment known as lycopene in tomatoes would possibly assist shield individuals above 70 years of age from Alzheimer’s illness. Ms. Saas has warned that earlier than cooking tomatoes, one should guarantee they’re totally washed and freed from any dust-borne germs.

Tomatoes are grown in farmlands throughout India, numbering between 5,000 and 10,000 vegetation per acre. In accordance with one estimate from the Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural College, India produced 210 lakh tonnes within the yr 2022-2023, second solely to China (680 lakh tonnes). The Indian Institute of Horticultural Analysis, Bengaluru, has been researching a wide range of tomato vegetation. One, known as ‘Arka Rakshak’, is a disease-resistant hybrid whereas one other, ‘Arka Shreshta’, has a protracted shelf-life, making it simpler to move.

The highest seven tomato cultivating States are Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Karnataka, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu. The common whole-sale value is estimated to be about Rs 1,700 per quintal.

Immediately, nearly each home within the nation makes use of tomatoes of their each day eating regimen. A typical Indian dish today invariably has some tomatoes in it, be it as a soup, added to a vegetable curry, chutney, added to rice or wheat as a ‘rasam’, and as ketchup for sandwiches and pizzas.

Having tasted the tomato and learnt that it’s not sinful however in reality has a number of well being advantages, allow us to get pleasure from this vegetable.