42 Tomato Health Benefits

by Stephanie Mantle · Published December 4, 2018 · Updated December 24, 2018

Tomatoes are a major dietary source of antioxidants which means they have many health benefits. They can help to reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer, amongst many other things. They’re also rich sources of vitamin C, potassium, folate and vitamin K, all of which are crucial to helping your body function correctly. To say the least, tomato health benefits are numerous!

Once matured, tomatoes are usually red in color, but they can vary between yellow, orange, green and even purple. They also vary in size, shape, and flavor depending on the subspecies. This article will cover the health benefits of all of these types of tomatoes!

Tomato Health Benefits

Raw tomatoes will contain the most health benefits

Improved Heart Health

Cardiovascular disease can lead to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. It’s one of the most common diseases in the world and one of the most fatal. However, studies have shown that the high content of antioxidants in tomatoes can help to lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

It’s also been noted that tomatoes contain compounds which help to fight inflammation and oxidative stress whilst also creating a protective layer within blood vessels to reduce the risk of clotting.

Improved Skin Health

Tomatoes are considered by many people to be beneficial for skin health. This is down to their high antioxidant content and other compounds they contain which help to reduce damage caused by the sun. In fact, one study found that after consuming forty grams of tomato paste with a little olive oil each day, people suffered forty percent fewer sunburns.

Cancer Prevention

Studies have found that one of the health benefits of tomatoes is that they could help to lower your risk of cancer. So far, they seem to be effective against prostate, lung, breast, and stomach cancers. This is largely due to their high levels of antioxidants which help to protect your cells from damage and prevent them mutating and uncontrollably reproducing.

Improved Eye Health

Tomatoes contain phytochemicals called carotenoids which are important in the maintenance of eye health. They help to protect your eyes against age-related degeneration of your vision and a number of other eye conditions. Therefore, adding plenty of tomatoes and tomato products to your diet could help maintain good vision for longer.

If you have any sort of vision problem, eating more tomatoes may be able to help

Help Blood Clotting and Wound Healing

Tomatoes are a potent source of vitamin K which is crucial to the process of blood clotting and wound healing. 100g of tomatoes contains around 6mcg of vitamin K so you only need to consume a few each day to help improve blood clotting and healing processes.

Reduce Menopausal Symptoms

A study in 2015 by the Nutrition Journal found that drinking tomato juice could reduce the severity of a number of menopausal symptoms including anxiety, resting heart rate and energy expenditure.

Controls Blood Pressure

Tomatoes are low in sodium and help increase your intake of potassium, which is vital for widening your arteries and blood vessels. Both these factors mean that the fruits are ideal for maintaining a healthy blood pressure.

Control Diabetes

People suffering from type 1 diabetes should follow a high-fiber diet in order to maintain lower blood sugar levels. A cup of cherry tomatoes provides two grams of fiber, so including these into your diet regularly could help to manage your diabetes.

This can also help with type 2 diabetes

Relieve Constipation

Tomatoes are high in water and fiber content which means they help to keep you hydrated and help to support regular bowel movements. In fact, they’re often described as a laxative fruit. Fiber is crucial to bulking out your stools and so helps to reduce your levels of constipation.

Healthy Pregnancy

During pregnancy, you need to consume a regular level of folate. This is because folate is essential to the prevention of neural tube defects in infants. You can take folate in the form of a folic acid supplement or by increasing your intake of foods like tomatoes, which are naturally high in folate.

A Great Source of Vitamins

One of the great health benefits of tomatoes is that they are packed full of the vitamins your body needs to function correctly. In fact, a single tomato can provide forty percent of your daily recommended minimum of vitamin C. They’re also a great source of vitamin A which is needed to support your immune system, skin and eye health. Their high vitamin K levels mean that they’re also key to maintaining good bone health, heart function, blood pressure, and muscle contractions.

Boost Digestive Health

Because tomatoes contain so much fluid and fiber, they may be useful for people suffering from a range of digestive issues and maintaining the health of your digestive tract. Be wary though, as their high levels of acidity could trigger heartburn and acid reflux if you’re prone to the condition.

Eat tomatoes to keep your digestive system in check

Maintains Strong Bones

Tomatoes are a rich source of calcium and vitamin K, both of which are crucial to the strengthening of bones. They also help to repair minor damage to bone and bone tissue. Therefore, one tomato health benefit could be that it prevents osteoporosis.

Repair Damage Caused by Smoking

Eating tomatoes won’t necessarily help you quit smoking or overcome a nicotine addiction. But it can help to heal some of the damage caused by the toxins and chemicals in cigarettes. This is because tomatoes contain high levels of coumaric acid and chlorogenic acid, which help to protect the cells of your body from cigarette chemicals.

Provide Essential Antioxidants

Tomatoes, as we’ve already discussed are a potent source of vitamins A and C. These vitamins can act as antioxidants and neutralize any potential damage from free radicals. This helps to keep your cells healthy and allows them to continue functioning properly.

The redder the tomato, the higher its concentration of vitamins. And don’t forget, cooking can cause vitamin C to break down so tomatoes usually work best when eaten raw.

Good for Your Hair

The high level of vitamin A helps to keep your hair looking shiny and feeling strong. Eating raw tomatoes is the best way to get in enough of this vitamin.

This home remedy should work well for any hair color

Good for Your Kidneys

Eating tomatoes but removing the seeds has been known to benefit the health of your kidneys. This is largely because they help to prevent the risk of kidney stones.

Prevent Urinary Tract Infections

Tomato intake can help reduce the risk and frequency of urinary tract infections. This is because they’re high in water, stimulating urination and helping to flush out toxins from your body. The water content is the most important, so eating raw tomatoes, tomato sauce, or drinking tomato juice are the best ways to use this health benefit.

Get More Potassium

Although many of us know that bananas are a great source of potassium but if you’re not a fan of bananas you could go for some tomatoes instead! One large tomato contains almost ten percent of your daily potassium requirement. Potassium is a highly important mineral which helps to reduce the risk of strokes, cardiovascular disease and helps to relax your muscles and stabilize blood pressure.

A Filling Food

Because they’re high in water and fiber, tomatoes work as a great filling food without the extra calories. Adding them to your meals can help to make them feel more filling. Eating tomatoes as a snack can also help to make sure you do not overeat between meals.

Try adding tomatoes to your salads or sandwiches

Controls Heart Rate

Being a rich source of potassium tomatoes are great for controlling your heart rate and keeping it at a steady and healthy rate. This can help to treat arrhythmia. This will further help to reduce the risk of heart disease and strokes.

Protect from Free Radicals

The antioxidant properties of tomatoes can significantly reduce the damage done by free radicals in the blood. This will help to protect your cells from a number of issues and diseases, including cancer.

Cell Repair and Muscle Building

Tomatoes are a naturally rich source of proteins. This means they’re great for repairing damage to cells and building muscles. If you are a bodybuilder, eating more tomatoes could help with your muscle-building goals.

Less Fat Content

Tomatoes have a much lower fat content than other foods. In fact, they only contain 18 calories and no saturated fat.

pasta, tomato sauce, basil, italian, tomato health benefits

Eating pasta with tomato sauce has much fewer calories than cream sauce

Lower Cholesterol

Tomatoes seeds don’t contain any cholesterol which means they won’t clog your veins or cause cholesterol to build in your blood. They’re also high in fiber which is known to help lower your cholesterol levels. In addition, they also contain high quantities of vitamin B3 which has been used for generations as a natural remedy for lowering cholesterol.

Lower Blood Pressure

Studies have shown that tomato seeds can help to reduce your blood pressure when consumed daily over an eight-week period.

Prevent Blood Clots

Tomato seeds are surrounded by a mucous layer which helps to prevent blood clots. It also helps to unblock existing clots. In fighting blood clots tomato seeds can further reduce the risk of developing heart disease.

Prevent Acidosis

In an ideal condition, your body should maintain a pH of 7.365. However, the foods we eat, when we eat them and the lifestyles we lead can all have an effect on the pH of your body which can cause acidosis. Tomatoes skins contain high levels of potassium, magnesium, and sodium, all of which help to maintain a healthy pH and reduce your risk of acidosis.

Spinach is also high in magnesium

Boosts Immunity

Tomatoes are packed full of vitamins and minerals which are crucial to supporting your immune system. This means they can help you fight infections such as the common cold and flu. They’re also full of antioxidants, which help protect your cells from infection and damage.

Tighten Pores

Adding four drops of tomato juice to a tablespoon of water and applying the mixture to your face with a cotton ball will help to tighten your pores. Keep massaging the mixture into your skin and let it sit for fifteen minutes. Regular use of this face wash will help to shrink your pores which will reduce the amount of dirt and oil trapped in your pores.

Gives You Glowing Skin

Tomatoes can work wonders when applied directly to your skin. This is thanks to their high vitamin C content as this vitamin is well-known for its ability to brighten skin tone. Simply slice a tomato in half and gently rub the juices into your skin.

Prevents Signs of Aging

Tomatoes help your skin to absorb oxygen more effectively which can prevent the signs of aging, including wrinkles.

Try not to get tomato juice in your eyes when using this home remedy

A Natural Sunscreen

There are a number of studies which show that tomatoes contain high levels of antioxidants. These help to protect your skin cells from the damage caused by the sun’s harmful UV rays. Simply rub a little fresh tomato juice into your skin and let it sit for fifteen minutes. You can then rinse it off with some warm water.

Relieves Stress

Tomato extract might seem like an odd addition to your massage, but it can actually really help to relieve your stress levels. In fact, it’s often been added to massage body oils to relieve stress and reduce the physical signs of stress.

It Has Astringent Properties

If like many people, you have combination skin, tomatoes could be a great addition to your skincare routine. Because they have strong astringent properties, they can help to reduce excess oil on your skin whilst also keeping your skin moisturized.

You can make a face mask using smashed avocado and tomato juices to cleanse your skin and improve your complexion. Leave the face mask on for twenty to thirty minutes before rinsing your skin with fresh, warm water.

A Natural Bleaching Agent

Tomato is considered to be a natural bleaching agent and many people find that it works very well for lightening the appearance of dark spots caused by aging or sun damaged skin. You can mix a teaspoon of oatmeal with a teaspoon of yogurt and two teaspoons of pulped tomatoes. You can then apply this mix to your skin and leave it on for twenty minutes and then rinse the skin with warm water.

bags under the eyes, dark circles under the eyes

This can also help to treat dark circles under the eyes

Smooth Skin

Mix a little honey with tomato juice to form a thick paste. You can then apply this paste to your skin and let it sit for fifteen minutes. This will leave you with smoother skin, especially when used on a regular basis.

Removes Dead Skin Cells

Tomatoes are great for removing dead skin cells thanks to their slightly acidic nature. You can grind some tomatoes in a mixer and add a teaspoon of sugar. You can then rub this mixture onto your skin in a circular motion to exfoliate the skin. You can also slice a tomato in half and sprinkle some sugar onto the flesh. You can then rub this on your skin for the same effect.

Prevent Hair Loss

One of the surprising health benefits of tomatoes is that they can help to prevent and reduce hair loss. Apply a little tomato pulp to your scalp and leave it in your hair for twenty minutes before washing your hair as usual. Doing this three times a week should help to significantly reduce your hair loss.

Conditions Hair

Tomatoes also make an amazing natural conditioner. They help to add extra shine and softness to your hair and could even help to make it more manageable. Simply add a few drops of tomato oil or juice to your hair as a leave-in conditioner to help manage frizz.

Removes Hair Stains

Regular swimming can cause the color of your hair to fade or change as a result of the chlorine in pool water. Thankfully, maintaining a bright and bold hair color can be as simple as adding a little fresh tomato juice to your hair. Let it sit for twenty minutes before rinsing with warm water and then shampoo and condition as normal. This will help to moisturize your hair and help it lock in your color pigments.

Treat Dandruff and Itchy Scalp

Tomatoes can also help to treat an itchy scalp and reduce dandruff which would otherwise increase your risk of other scalp problems like eczema and psoriasis. The high content of vitamin C provides your skin with collagen for proper tissue development which helps to fight dandruff.

Pulp two or three ripe tomatoes and add two tablespoons of lemon juice and mix it to make a paste. You can then apply this paste to your scalp gently and leave it on for thirty minutes before rinsing your hair with clean water. Make sure you dry your hair thoroughly afterward.