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Only the ignorant do not know about the benefits of vegetables. Potatoes, peppers, eggplants, tomatoes. We use them with pleasure, without even thinking about whether they are harmful? Many people consider it completely harmless to eat green potatoes, overripe eggplant or green tomato, wondering later what is the reason for poor health.
In English, the name of the nightshade family sounds like “night shadows.” Where does this strange phrase come from? It turns out that even the ancient Romans prepared poisons from nightshades for their enemies, which carried them into the kingdom of shadows. We are not talking about potatoes, peppers or tomatoes, which appeared in Europe much later. Among this family there are many very poisonous plants. Suffice it to recall henbane or dope. And tobacco, which is considered a household drug, also belongs to this family. Therefore, let’s take a closer look at green tomatoes to answer the question: is it possible to eat green tomatoes?
Composition of green tomatoes
The calorie content of this product is low - only 23 kcal for every 100 g. Nevertheless, green tomatoes contain fat, although very little - 0.2 g in every 100 g.They consist of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, they contain both Omega-3 and Omega-6, but all this is in microscopic quantities. Carbohydrates are represented by mono and disaccharides: their amount is 5.1 g for every 100 g, but only 4 g is absorbed. There is little protein, only 1.2 g for the same amount. It consists of nonessential and essential amino acids. Green tomatoes contain dietary fiber, microelements, most of all potassium and copper.
The vitamin composition is quite wide, but the quantitative content of vitamins is small. Only vitamin C has nutritional value, 23.4 mg per 100 g, which is 26% of the daily value for humans. Based on the composition, the benefits of green tomatoes are small, especially since there are also harms.
Solanin
In addition to all the useful components, green tomatoes have something that makes you wary. We are talking primarily about the glycoalkaloid solanine. Apparently, it was because of this that tomatoes were considered poisonous for so long. Most likely, someone tried unripe fresh tomatoes and was “impressed” with the result. That is why for several centuries it was believed that tomatoes should not be eaten. Not only green, but also red tomatoes were not eaten.
The solanine content in unripe tomatoes ranges from 9 to 32 mg. In order for symptoms of poisoning to appear, about 200 mg of this toxic substance must enter the stomach. Already 400 mg of solanine can easily send a person to the next world. When tomatoes ripen, the picture changes dramatically. The content of the toxic substance gradually decreases and stops at a level of 0.7 mg per 100 g of ripe tomatoes.This amount is absolutely not dangerous for humans and, on the contrary, in small doses, solanine stimulates the functioning of the cardiovascular system. And not only.
Its healing effect on the human body is very multifaceted:
- Painkiller and anti-inflammatory.
- Diuretic and antispasmodic.
- Hypotensive and strengthens capillaries.
- Fights fungi and viruses.
- Helps with diseases of the liver and upper respiratory tract.
Tomatin
In addition to the above solanine, tomatoes contain another toxic substance - alpha tomatine. It belongs to the class of glycoalkaloids and also poses a danger to humans, but only in sufficiently large quantities. To be poisoned, you need to receive at least 25 mg of the substance. The lethal dose starts at 400 mg. But there is no need to worry, since the tomatine content in tomatoes is small; for example, a lethal dose is contained in several kilograms of green tomatoes. But this poison can also serve a person. Cortisone is obtained from it, a well-known medicine used for many diseases. When tomatoes are ripened from tomatine, tomatidine is obtained. It is not poisonous. Both of these substances have the following properties:
- immunomodulatory;
- anticarcinogenic;
- antibiotic;
- antioxidant.
There is evidence that tomatidine helps build muscle mass during exercise and promotes the loss of fat tissue.
The benefits of green tomatoes
- applying tomato slices to dilated veins helps with varicose veins;
- stabilization of acid-base balance;
- the presence of dietary fiber improves intestinal cleansing.
We can conclude that green tomatoes, on the one hand, are harmful to the body, and on the other hand, they bring great benefits. But I don’t want to eat them fresh because of their high acidity and rather unattractive taste.
How to use
These tomatoes are one of the ingredients in delicious preparations for the winter. Many people enjoy eating them salted or pickled. There are many recipes for their preparation.
Soaking green tomatoes in salt water for several hours will also help fight solanine. If you change the water several times, the harmful solanine will go away.
Contraindications to the use of green tomatoes
There are certain diseases for which the consumption of tomatoes is prohibited. These are problems with joints, kidney diseases, gall bladder, allergic reactions. Everyone else can and should eat tomatoes, but in reasonable quantities.
Any product consumed by a person has certain benefits and can cause harm. It’s only a matter of their ratio, the correct choice of processing method and the correctly selected rate of use.
