My favourite vegetable... or should I call it my favourite fruit??? Technically, tomato is botanically a fruit. However, the tomato is nutritionally categorized as a vegetable. Since "vegetable" is not a botanical term, there is no contradiction in a plant part being a fruit botanically while still being considered a vegetable.
The tomato is grown worldwide for its edible fruits, with thousands of cultivars. Cultivated tomatoes vary in size from cheery tomatoes to beefsteak tomatoes.
Tomatoes are eaten freely throughout the world. and their consumption is believed to benefit the heart among other things. Lycopene, one of nature's most powerful antioxidants, is present in tomatoes, and especially when tomatoes are cooked, has been found beneficial in preventing prostate cancer.
Tomatoes are used extensively in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines, especially Italian. It has an acidic property that is used to bring out other flavors.
Benefits and Uses of Tomatoes
Medical:
1. Tomato juice keeps the blood stream alkaline and thus maintain a high resistance to disease. 2. It is very rich in iron and potash salts.
3. Half-ripe tomatoes offer an excellent remedy in all sorts of liver troubles.
4. Tomatoes stimulate torpid liver and are very good for dyspepsia, diarrhoea and dysentery.
5. Being a rich source of vitamin A, it is a dependable preventive against eye troubles.
6. Tomato is a nervine tonic. It is very useful in all sorts of nervous disorders.
7. As it is a rich source of vitamin C, it is very valuable in scurvy.
8. Half ripe tomatoes are very valuable in summer diarrhoea. But it should be taken with musumbi (lime) juice.
9. It is also very effective in dysentery. But it should be taken with garlic and musumbi (lime) juice.
10. Half-ripe tomatoes are very useful in hot summer months as it prevents sun-stroke or heat-stroke.
11. Tomatoes are usually effective in heartburn, flatulence or indigestion.
12. Half-ripe tomatoes are usually given in dyspepsia.
Others:
1. Deodorize plastic containers
To remove foul odors from a plastic container, pour a little tomato juice onto a sponge and wipe it around the inside of the container. Then wash the container and lid in warm, soapy water, dry well, and store them separated in the freezer for a couple of days.
2. Remove skunk stink from dog
If your dog gets skunked, douse the affected area thoroughly with undiluted tomato juice. Make sure to sponge some of the juice over the pet's face, too, avoiding its eyes. Wait a few minutes for the acids from the tomatoes to neutralize the skunk smell and then give the dog a shampoo or scrub with soap and water. Repeat as necessary over several days until the smell is completely gone.
3. Rid fridge of odors
Get rid of spoiled-food smells in your refrigerator and freezer with the help of some tomato juice. After disposing of the bad food that caused the smell, thoroughly wipe the insides of the fridge and freezer with a sponge or washcloth doused in undiluted tomato juice. Rinse with warm, soapy water and wipe dry. If traces of the smell remain, repeat the procedure or substitute vinegar for the tomato juice.
4. Restore blond hair color
If you're a blonde who has ever gone swimming in a chlorine-treated pool, it can sometimes give your hair an unappealing green tint. To restore the blond color to your hair, saturate it with undiluted tomato juice, cover it with a shower cap, and wait 10-15 minutes. Then rinse thoroughly, shampoo, and soon you'll be ready to have more fun.
5. Relieve a sore throat
For temporary relief of sore throat symptoms, gargle with a mixture of 1/2 cup tomato juice and 1/2 cup hot water, plus about 10 drops hot pepper sauce.
Credits
http://en.wikipedia.org/http://www.online-family-doctor.com/http://www.rd.com
