The 10 Healthiest Reasons to Love Tomatoes—Both Fresh and Canned

Reduce Oxidative Stress and Inflammation

Tomatoes are full of different antioxidants, including lycopene, beta-carotene, lutein, chlorogenic acid, and naringenin, says Aubrey Redd, MS, RDN, LDN, registered dietitian and owner of Aubrey Redd Nutrition.

“Antioxidants help fix the damage from oxidative stress in our body,” explains Amandeep Kalsi, MPH, RD, a registered dietitian in California. A host of things can cause this oxidative stress, from pollution to UV rays, so it is impossible to avoid. This is another reason why it is a good idea to include brighter and/or deeper-colored vegetables and fruits in your diet, as these tend to have a higher number of antioxidants, Kalsi says.

Finally, tomatoes also contain lutein, which helps prevent age-related macular degeneration, chlorogenic acid, which helps lower blood pressure, and naringenin in the tomato skin, which helps reduce inflammation, Redd says.

Support a Healthy Immune System

Tomatoes can provide you with 25% of the recommended Daily Value (DV) of vitamin C, offering 13.7 milligrams of C per 100 grams. Vitamin C, which is yet another antioxidant, helps build your immune cells and supports tissue growth and healing, Redd says. The regeneration of other antioxidants in the body, like vitamin E, also depends on vitamin C. 

For vegetarians and vegans who may not get their iron from animal foods, vitamin C is especially important, as it helps the body absorb the iron from plant-based foods more readily.

Improve Gut Health

Tomatoes are full of insoluble fiber, which attracts water into your stool to soften it and allow for smooth passage out of the body, Kalsi explains. It is especially beneficial if you have issues with constipation.

Soluble fiber is great to include in your diet if you’re monitoring your blood glucose (sugar) levels, Redd adds. It slows down the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates, so your blood sugar levels don’t spike too quickly—and so you feel satisfied for longer after eating. “Soluble fiber also works as a prebiotic in our gut,” explains Redd. “Prebiotics are the foods that are going to nourish our healthy gut bacteria.”

Lower Blood Pressure

“[Tomatoes are] one of the produce items with the highest amount of potassium,” Redd says, with 290 mg of this essential mineral in a medium tomato. Potassium plays a role in ensuring our body retains the amount of water it needs to be well-hydrated (it’s an electrolyte), Redd says, and also helps with healthy blood pressure control. The presence of potassium in your blood causes the kidneys to lower the sodium levels in your bloodstream, which, in turn, lowers your blood pressure, Kalsi explains.

Boost Blood and Bone Health

A medium tomato contains approximately 15 percent of the recommended DV of vitamin K. According to Redd and Kalsi, vitamin K has a role in forming and activating proteins that are involved in blood clotting and strengthening bone.

According to Redd and Kalsi, studies have found that having more lycopene present in the blood is also associated with a lowered risk of heart disease and even certain cancers.

Support Tissue Growth and Cell Function

Folate, also known as vitamin B9, supports normal tissue growth and cell function, Redd and Kalsi say. For those who are pregnant, folate also helps prevent neural tube defects in the growing fetus during pregnancy, making it especially important for pregnant people to get enough of it.

Enhance Respiratory Health

Tomatoes are one of the richest fruit sources of lycopene, which is a carotenoid that has been linked to better lung function. In fact, this antioxidant has also been shown to reduce the risk of lung cancer in smokers.

Promote Exercise Recovery

Tomato juice is an excellent source of electrolytes, like potassium and sodium, which you lose a lot of when you sweat. Therefore, drinking tomato juice (or eating tomatoes) after an intense, sweaty workout, can help to replenish you and help you feel rejuvenated instead of exhausted.

Reduce Risk of Stroke

The lycopene content in tomatoes can also reduce some heart complications. People who have the highest amounts of lycopene in their blood have been shown to have a reduced risk of stroke. In fact, one study found that people with the highest amount were 55 percent less likely to have a stroke than those with the lowest amounts of lycopene in their blood.

Improve Skin

The principle of oral photoprotection, which is provided by the antioxidants in tomatoes, helps to prevent the harmful effects from UV radiation on the skin. Studies show that the combination of carotenoids and polyphenols in tomatoes and tomato extract help balance UV-induced skin cell damage.

Another antioxidant in tomatoes is beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A within the body. Vitamin A is important for eye health and the immune system, Kalsi says. But it also plays a part in preventing collagen from breaking down and boosting collagen production in our skin. “There’s a study that shows that when participants consumed a combination of tomato paste and olive oil for 10 weeks, they saw a 40% increase in protection against sunburns,” Kalsi adds.