Tomato is an excellent source of valuable vitamins and nutrients. Tomato juice, the benefit, and harm of which should be known to everyone who loves it, is a very popular drink. However, many underestimate it, and in vain. Let’s try to understand how useful tomato juice is.
Caloric value
Useful properties of tomato juice are mainly due to the valuable composition, high nutritional value and very low caloric value. All these properties allow people with various diseases to consume tomato juice with dietary, light meals.
So, 100 ml of the product contains:
- 18 kcal;
- 1 g of protein;
- 3.5 grams of carbohydrates;
- 0.2 g of fat.
Composition of juice
The composition of tomato juice is so rich in useful elements that it can be considered a record among vegetable drinks for possessing useful properties.
So, components of tomato juice are:
- Water: being the main liquid in the human body, perfectly maintains the water balance, helps to quickly quench the thirst.
- Vitamin B: maintains the state of cell membranes, removes toxins, participates in metabolic processes, in the synthesis of red blood cells, as well as protective antibodies, helps in the production of enzymatic substances.
- Vitamin C: strengthens blood vessels, increases immunity, improves bone and muscle-skeleton.
- Vitamin E: slows down the aging process of the body, reduces fatigue.
- Vitamin H: is involved in the synthesis of glucose, normalize digestion and the work of the nervous system.
- Vitamin PP: participates in oxidation-reduction reactions, helps in the formation of enzymes.
- Sodium: participates in the production of gastrointestinal juice, maintains a normal acid-base balance.
- Potassium: helps in the work of all muscles (even if you are on any special diet), improves the conductivity of oxygen in the brain, ensures the stable operation of nerve endings.
- Magnesium: helps in the production of protein, improves the condition of the teeth, and in conjunction with the element of calcium normalizes the heart function.
- Calcium: helps reduce cholesterol, reduces blood clotting, normalizes and supports the glands.
- Iron: helps to restore the normal level of hemoglobin, is involved in the synthesis of enzymes.
- Pectin: cleanses the body, improves digestion, hematopoiesis, and circulation, removes toxins and radioactive substances from the body.
- Lycopene: prevents the appearance of tumors and cancers, normalizes cholesterol.
- Fiber: normalizes the intestinal microflora, helps in the process of digestion.
Thanks to its rich composition, you can see the unsurpassed benefits of tomato juice.
Useful action
It is easy to answer the question: “Is tomato juice useful?” Definitely – yes! Its usefulness can be seen from its valuable composition.
Properties that juice has:
- Maintenance of immunity due to the presence of acids and vitamins.
- Prophylaxis of oncological diseases.
- An excellent anti-depressant helps to cope with stress and fatigue, affects the nervous system, thanks to the ability to produce serotonin. Serotonin is a hormone of joy, it improves mood, efficiency, stimulates sexual function
- Normalises brain activity.
- Strengthening of blood vessels, which does not allow the formation of blood clots.
- Reducing blood sugar when consumed in freshly squeezed condition. Recommended for diabetes.
- Cholagogic property.
Thus, the consumption of tomato juice ensures the improvement of vital processes in the body.
Negative Actions
Harm from tomato juice is observed only when consumed improperly.
If you are healthy, you should consider some points:
- when drinking it on an empty stomach, it causes spasms;
- the use of packaged tomato juice does not lead to a positive effect since the influence of temperatures leads to the destruction of beneficial vitamins;
- the presence of salt in the juice reduces the benefit, leads to increased pressure;
- when used in conjunction with foods high in protein or starch, it leads to the formation of kidney stones;
- the use of more than 1.5 cups a day significantly loads the work of the kidneys;
- preparation from immature fruit contributes to the ingestion of a toxic substance of solanine.
So, in order to minimize the negative consequences, use the drink according to all the above rules. They are quite simple, but they are so necessary for a proper diet.
Contraindications
Like any food product, tomato juice has a number of contraindications. The harm of tomato juice can be seen if you are prone to certain diseases. Such as:
- An exacerbation of gastritis, pancreatitis, an ulcer, a cholecystitis: in this case, strong painful sensations are observed.
- Food poisoning: no matter how dietary this juice is considered, consuming it during poisoning will only exacerbate the situation. Toxic substances will enter the bloodstream more quickly.
- Kidney disease, the presence of stones in them or a tendency to their formation: the organic acids contained in the beverage strongly influence the unhealthy kidneys.
- Allergy to vegetation from the family of nightshade.
- Haemophilia.
- Cystitis and urethritis.
People who have one of these diseases are strictly forbidden to include a tomato drink in their diet so that there is no further deterioration in their health.
Who should drink it?
Tomato juice is useful for all healthy people without exception. It can and should be taken by pregnant women and children. But it must be done with caution.
Drink from tomatoes is particularly useful for people who are prone to such diseases as:
- violation of blood composition and coagulation;
- stenocardia, hypertension;
- low elasticity and strength of blood vessels;
- diabetes;
- chronic constipation and flatulence;
- intestinal diseases and pathologies;
- decreased immunity;
- high loads, tension and stressful situations.
The juice is very useful for people who are exposed to these phenomena, it helps in solving a number of problems, improves the condition of the body as a whole.
Recommendations for use
Tomato juice, the benefit, and harm of which directly depends on proper consumption should be included in your diet extremely competently.
The most useful juice is made from fresh vegetables that have been wrung out by hand. It’s better if these are fruits from your garden, without harmful nitrates. To prepare the drink, use juicers, food processors or a blender. In this case, the drink will bring many positive effects.
The product should be consumed immediately after preparation. Even storage in the refrigerator for a day is not allowed. Almost all useful substances are destroyed in the juice that has been stored up.
If you prefer to conserve a drink to consume it in the winter, remember that, in this case, many vitamins and trace elements are lost.
In order not to harm your body, you should drink this juice no more than 1.5 cups per day. And only if there are no signs that are contraindications.
This drink is of great benefit for pregnant, but the use should be regulated in an amount not more than one glass per day, so as not to cause an allergy in the newborn.
For children, this drink should be excluded until the age of 3 years. The drink should be gradually introduced into the baby’s food. Add it in small portions in soups. Children age of more than 3 years are recommended to drink the juice in the amount of 150 ml several times a week.
One of the main conditions for the use of tomato juice is the exclusion of the addition of salt and sugar.
You also need to remember that the juice should be drunk an hour before meals or 1-2 hours after eating.
Tomato juice is a useful product for a healthy person’s diet. A number of diseases can prohibit the use of juice, and with other diseases, on the contrary, this drink needs to be included in the diet. In order that this product has only a positive effect on the body, you should use it correctly. Then the juice, cooked from tomatoes, will only please you with both taste qualities and a huge benefit.