In summer and autumn, when there is a lot of ground tomatoes, on our tables, you can often find a salad of fresh tomatoes. And, as doctors suggest, it would be better if there was spaghetti with tomatoes, stewed tomatoes or even tomato paste. In fact, according to studies, tomatoes with a little heat treatment, such as quenching are healthier then fresh.
The thing is that tomatoes contain a substance lycopene which is a powerful antioxidant. Upon consumption:
- protected cells and tissues in our body from the damaging effects of free radicals (and this is a great prevention against cancer),
- prevents, to a certain extent, the oxidation of cholesterol, slowing the development of atherosclerosis, and thereby contributing to the prevention of causes of death No. 1 in the world — cardiovascular disease.
But that’s only better absorbed lycopene from tomatoes, a little dimmed on the fire.
According to the research, which was conducted by staff of the University of Lincoln, the use of fresh tomatoes gives small portion – about 4% of lycopene. But in cooked tomato paste, the absorption of lycopene increases.
This happens due to the fact that during thermal processing of vegetables evaporates excess liquid and remains the more useful of dry matter.
More about comparison of fresh and cooked tomatoes watch in the video below:
