Healthy Tomatoes #BlogchatterA2Z

Hi Friends, Today I am going to talk about a Superfood which is common in our Indian kitchen. ‘SuperFood’ is considered as a “buzz” word in health and nutrition. It is always thought that it would be a new or exotic plant or food with some amazing health benefits. Much to our surprise, many of us, don’t realize how exciting the health benefits of a few common and inexpensive foods we often eat are. With that, I am talking about a common yet a superfood- Tomatoes. Today, in my #SuperFoodforHealthyYou series, I will share some insight into the health benefits of eating Tomatoes as well as some tips on how to incorporate them into your routine. 

How to make the best use of Nutrients in Tomatoes

I am sure, Tomatoes are one of the most generally consumed vegetables in our kitchen from vegetables to gravies it is found everywhere. Tomatoes are not only cheap but are available easily round the year.  It is on top, of being highly nutrient dense along with an array of minerals and vitamins. Hence there are ample health benefits of eating Tomatoes and making it a part of our life. Tomatoes also contain a power-house of a nutrient called lycopene, which also has an effective spectrum of health benefits.

• This Lycopene is responsible for the red colour of tomatoes, with an incredible antioxidant activity which is higher than any of the other carotenoids (e.g. beta-carotene). I talked about in my previous post on Sweet Potatoes too.
• Since Lycopene is fat-soluble, it is best absorbed when tomatoes are eaten with a little oil (e.g. olive or mustard oil).
• Another important thing to note is that it is efficiently absorbed after some processing (e.g. blending) or cooking.
• Lycopene has protective effects on many known chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, with amazing anti-inflammatory actions. 

Some easy kids friendly recipes of Tomatoes

Tomatoes are both nutritious and delicious. It is also easy to incorporate them into our diet. But I have seen kids (including my own) picking them out. So I always try some fun recipes and something more than just the salsa, salad or gravies. Here are some easy yet amazing to help you incorporate more tomatoes into your day. Also since they are kid-friendly recipes as the tomatoes are hidden 🙂

Tomato Soup

1. boil tomatoes in a saucepan with enough water. once done keep them on a plate to cool down.
2. Meanwhile finely chop garlic and onion and keep aside
3. Also, make a paste of 1 tsp cornflour and 2 tsp water
4. Once the tomatoes cool down, blend them well in a blender to make a fine paste.
5. In a pan, toast a piece of bread from both sides. Once it turns golden brown, take it out and cut in into small pieces.
6. In the same pan take some oil, add garlic and saute for a while. 
7. Add onion and saute till soft. Then add blended tomatoes, half cup water, cornflour paste and let it boil.
8. Spice it with black pepper or red chilli flakes and add sugar and salt.
9. You may add fresh cream too, that’s totally optional.  
10. Garnish with a little butter and bread croutons and coriander leaves.

Tomato Dips/Chutney

I follow the same recipe of vegetable chutney with only a slight variant. Read my post on Beetroot Chutney for details of the chutney and dips. You may optionally add curry leaves, dried red chillies for tempering.

Well, Tomatoes are healthy and super easy to incorporate into almost any food we eat. There is absolutely no reason to miss out on this power-house SuperFood!

—