A Nutritionist at the Wuse General Hospital, Abuja, Hajiya Jummai Abdul, on Thursday said that drinking tomato juice could prevent high cholesterol, glaucoma and other ocular diseases.
Abdul said in Abuja that tomato juice, which could be taken with other nutritious fruits, vegetable drinks, could also prevent inflammation of the joint.
“It is also rich in fibre which helps to break down bad cholesterol in the body, helps regulate bowel movement, prevents constipation and keeps the liver healthy and function well.’’
She said that drinking tomato juice regularly helped in preventing prenatal health issues and aided in the prevention of eye and cardiovascular diseases. According to Abdul, some benefits of tomatoes juice include the good effects it has in improving one’s appetite and aiding digestion. “Tomato juice is recommended for people who are suffering from heart conditions or who are recovering from heart attacks,’’ she said. Abdul explained that tomato juice also worked as a natural antiseptic and helped in guarding human body against any kind of common infections.
“People who have kidney stones and gall stones should take it because it works as a natural antiseptic and helps prevent the body to develop common infection like colds and flu,’’ she said.
The nutritionist, however, advised people suffering from kidney stones and gall stones to eat tomatoes without its seeds.
Abdul said that tomatoes juice could be consumed by diabetic patient because of its nutritional, antioxidant and cancer fighting properties. According to her, tomato contains lycopene; lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that protects against degenerative diseases.
“Its (lycopene) carotenoid and phytonutrient are found in red fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, pink grapefruits, and watermelons. “Also the lycopene in tomatoes is an effective tool for certain kinds of cancers which include breast, lung and pancreatic cancer.’’
She said women with high levels of lycopene had five times lower rate of cervical cancer than those with the lowest levels. “It helps in the prevention of skin breakout, reduces acne and gets rid of pimple infection fast,“ the nutritionist said. Abdul said that tomatoes were naturally rich in water and helped the body hydrated after a strenuous exercise. She explained that there were other vitamins found in tomatoes juice such as vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and contained small quantities of vitamin B12.
“Vitamin A is essential for maintaining good teeth and strong bones, good for growing children and Vitamin B helps in increasing one’s energy by keeping the nervous system healthy.’’ Abdul said that other nutritional contents in tomatoes included niacin, foliate, vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin K.
“Eating a medium sized fresh tomato can provide a person with about 23 mg of its daily requirement of vitamin C.’’ “The Vitamin C prevalent in tomatoes is good for pregnant women and highly nutritious for the babies.’’ Abdul said that some of the minerals found in tomatoes included calcium, sodium, manganese, potassium, phosphorous, iron, copper, zinc and chromium. “ Potassium is an essential mineral that is required for human body to reduce depression and general overall body weakness,’’ she said. She said that since tomatoes were rich in potassium, a glass a day helped prevent cramps and stomach ache.
