Tomato Juice Nutrition

With the increase in awareness about healthy foods and drinks, people have started consuming fruit juices to gain health benefits. Now the shift is slowly changing from usual fruit juices to vegetable fruit juices, such as tomatoes. The tomato is a fruit, but it is widely used while cooking vegetables and soups. It is also an essential ingredient of the very common and popular tomato sauce. Luscious red tomatoes serve us with a tangy, sour-sweet taste and add a different flavor to our food. They are also high on various vitamins and minerals along with essential dietary fibers. Though it is suggested to eat whole fruits instead of juices, you can consume tomato juice, as it is more palatable.

Nutritional Value of Tomato Juice

There are various nutritional facts about tomatoes. Research studies have shown that, tomatoes contain enzymes that prevent blood platelets from clopping together and forming blood clots. Tomato juice is also rich in antioxidant lycopene, that is known to be an effective guard against breast cancer, prostate cancer, coronary artery diseases, and atherosclerosis. Tomato is high in calcium, vitamin C, carbohydrates, and phosphorus. Tomatoes help wash out the toxins and other contamination from the body and act as a gentle stimulant for kidneys. Tomatoes are also rich in vitamin A, that keep eye diseases at bay. Regular consumption of tomatoes can prevent short sightedness, night blindness, and other eye diseases caused due to vitamin A deficiency.

Tomato juice is ideal for those who wish to reduce weight, as it contains less calories and negligible amount of fats. It is also ideal for diabetes patients, as tomatoes are known to reduce and control sugar percentage in urine. This helps diabetics to reduce weight and maintain sugar levels in the body. Tomato juice is also effective in curing morning sickness, excessive gas formation in the intestine, gastro-intestinal diseases, indigestion, etc. Fresh tomato juice, mixed with pepper and salt, can be helpful in reducing nauseating feeling and can serve as a tasty drink as well. Tomato juice is also helpful in preventing joint pain problems and respiratory disorders as well.

Nutrient	Nutritional Value
Protein	1.3 mg
Calories	26.8 mg
Calcium	14.9 mg
Magnesium	16.4 mg
Phosphorus	35.8 mg
Total fat	0.3 mg
vitamin A	1241 IU
Vitamin C	18.9 mg
Dietary fiber	1.8 gm
Iron	0.4 mg
Carbohydrates	5.8 mg
Potassium	3.53 mg
Manganese	16.4 mg
Sugar	3.9 mg

How to Make Tomato Juice

It is easy to make tomato juice at home, instead of buying canned tomato juice from the market. Homemade tomato juice has more tomato health benefits and is a cheaper option as compared to canned or ready-made juices, as they contain harmful preservatives. To make homemade tomato juice, first you need to buy fresh tomatoes, or if you are growing tomatoes, pick ripe tomatoes from your garden. Then wash the tomatoes thoroughly, as their outer layer contains pesticides. After washing, there are two ways to grind the tomatoes into juice. You can either boil the tomatoes, peel the thin cover, and then grind the peeled tomatoes and strain it to remove the seeds, or if you want to go for raw juice, just grind the freshly washed tomatoes in a mixer grinder and strain the juice. You can also use a food mill that is specially designed to grind tomatoes to get juice. Once the juice is ready, store it in a non-reactive vessel or glass, as tomatoes are acidic in nature.

You can use tomato juice in various recipes and can also make some great brunch time cocktails with added mint leaves, honey, and salt to the juice. If in case you fall short of fresh tomato juice you can try some tomato juice substitutes, such as homemade tomato sauce and tomato paste. You just need to add equal amount of tomato sauce or paste and water and shake it well. You can use this mixture as a regular tomato juice, that is high in nutrition. However, those suffering from allergies due to tomatoes, should restrain from tomato juice and instead use sea salt in food preparations, that gives the same taste as tomato.