They found that, after an hour, one tomato had the same levels of vitamin D as two commonly recommended sources of the supplement—eggs and tuna.
The tomato plant has been demonstrated to have vitamin D-like activity. The activity was present in the leaves but not in the fruit of the plant.
The best sources are the flesh of fatty fish and fish liver oils. Smaller amounts are found in egg yolks, cheese, and beef liver. Certain mushrooms contain some vitamin D2; in addition some commercially sold mushrooms contain higher amounts of D2 due to intentionally being exposed to high amounts of ultraviolet light.
Tomatoes and tomato products are rich sources of folate, vitamin C, and potassium. Relative to phytonutrients, the most abundant in tomatoes are the carotenoids. Lycopene is the most prominent carotenoid followed by beta-carotene, gamma-carotene and phytoene as well as several minor carotenoids.
Getting more tomatoes into your diet may make you less likely to have a stroke, which is when blood flow gets cut off to a part of your brain. Studies suggest that they may ease inflammation, boost your immune system, lower your cholesterol levels, and keep your blood from clotting.
Tomatoes provide essential antioxidants.
Remember, the redder the tomato you eat is, the more beta-carotene it contains. In addition, you also want to keep in mind that cooking destroys the Vitamin C, so for these benefits, the tomatoes need to be eaten raw.
Oranges may be the closest you'll get to a fruit containing vitamin D.
Unfortunately, no fruits are high in vitamin D, and fortified orange juice is currently the only fruit product commonly sold with vitamin D.
Although carrots have no vitamin D, they contain other important nutrients that can benefit your health.
In general, the two main causes of vitamin D deficiency are: Not getting enough vitamin D in your diet and/or through sunlight. Your body isn't properly absorbing or using vitamin D.
There is no vitamin D in broccoli. But one cup contains as much vitamin C as an orange. Plus, broccoli has calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorous, zinc, vitamins A, B, E and K.
NOTE: squid and octopus do not contain Vitamin D.
The scientists harnessed a similar process in tomato plants. The compound in the skin that can make vitamin D is known as 7-DHC, or provitamin D3, and it's also found in tomato plant leaves and unripe green fruit.
Fortified Milk Offers a Double Whammy: Vitamin D and Calcium
Fortified plant-based milks, such as soy and almond, can provide similar amounts of vitamin D. Enjoy a cold 8 oz glass of your preferred fortified milk straight, blend it into a smoothie, or use it to whip up your choice of coffee drink.
Blueberries (14 microgram/half-cup) and grapes (11 micrograms/half-cup) and apples (up to 5 micrograms for one small apple) have lower amounts but are easy to add to a meal on the go.
With a serve of two eggs providing 82% of your daily recommended intake of vitamin D, eggs contain one of the highest quantities of vitamin D of any food.
But studies have linked flavonols with lower risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other age-related complications, and you won't get much of them if you peel your tomatoes—up to 98 percent of flavonols found in tomatoes were found in the skin.
Too much consumption of tomatoes can cause tomato leaf poisoning in some people. A few symptoms of this poisoning are irritation of throat and mouth, dizziness and it may sometimes even cause death. Due to their acidic nature, too much consumption of tomatoes might cause acid reflux.
-- Cooking tomatoes -- such as in spaghetti sauce -- makes the fruit heart-healthier and boosts its cancer-fighting ability. All this, despite a loss of vitamin C during the cooking process, say Cornell food scientists. The reason: cooking substantially raises the levels of beneficial compounds called phytochemicals.
Tomatoes have carotenoids such as lutein and lycopene which are really essential for our body. These carotenoids are also related to properties that can prevent prostate cancer. Eating tomatoes daily will ensure that you get an array of nutrients which will help in better functioning of your body.
Cooked tomatoes contain high amounts of lycopene, an antioxidant found in many red, orange, and yellow fruits and vegetables. Lycopene reduces oxidative stress, which is damaging to your brain.
Eating tomatoes daily will provide you with many vitamins and minerals, but you'll still receive the benefits if you eat them less often. There is no recommended number of tomatoes to eat per day.