Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Why Do You Need To Eat Tomatoes?
Some experts said that tomato is known as a source of power of nutrition, as it contains a large number of vitamins and minerals that can support our body’s health.
Tomatoes have been first cultivated in Peru, and then brought to Mexico. Now, tomatoes are sold everywhere. In American grocery stores, tomatoes are often picked unripe, and ripened in storage with ethylene.
Which one is better, unripe or ripe?
Tomatoes that are ripened in storage with ethylene, plant hormone produced by many fruits and acts as the cue to begin the ripening process, tend to stay longer, but have poorer flavor than tomatoes ripened on the plant. They may be recognized by their color, which is more pink or orange than the ripe tomato's deep red.Based on the nutrition content, red tomatoes have more vitamin A than green tomatoes. But in this case, green tomatoes have more protein.If you eat tomatoes everyday, it is beneficial in preventing cancer to 50%. Tomatoes will fight different kinds of cancer and protect your heart from heart attack.
Why tomatoes are beneficial for health?
Tomatoes contain various kinds of ingredients. Here are some of them:
*Lycopene, one of nature's most powerful antioxidants. It is beneficial to fight different kind of diseases, most of all to fight cancer.
*Fiber in tomatoes prevents diabetes, asthma, colon cancer, and lowers the amount of cholesterol from the body.
*Vitamin C and A, antioxidants which fight free radical. They fight against aging, soothe skin and hair.
*Potassium, vitamin B6, folate, and niacin have proven effect in lowering cholesterol level, lowering blood pressure and works against heart disease.
*Vitamin K in tomatoes helps to build bone.
*Chromium and biotin make the body's ability to process sugar and fat, which may improve fighting diabetes and help nerve function.
*Riboflavin helps with energy metabolism and fights against migraine headaches.
So, if you consume ripe, unripe or tomato-based food products (tomato sauce, tomato pasta etc.) all deliver many nutrients with multiple mechanisms of action to prevent you from different kinds of diseases.
Thursday, 11 March 2010
Grow Tomatoes
Tending a garden is a favorite hobby for many people, not only for the relaxation, but for the tasty harvest in due season. Tomatoes are a versatile plant with many varieties to sample and are one of the easiest garden treats to grow. Whether you opt for starting your plants from scratch with the seedlings or buying your plants in a semi mature stage, tomato gardens don't ask for much: just a little sunlight, water and TLC. And to help you get started and give your plants a boost, try these 10 easy tips to help your garden thrive.
1. To increase your garden results, choose locally approved varieties of tomatoes that contain VFN on the package. This variety helps to protect your vines from major plant diseases and nematodes.
2. Plant your tomatoes in the sunlight and avoid fully or partially shaded areas. Outdoor lighting is the best, however, indoor plants do well will special horticultural lighting systems installed over head, directly striking the plants.
3. Use stakes or caging to keep your tomatoes off the ground. In addition, tomatoes planted in windy climates may need to have a windbreak shield to guard them from high speed gusts. If you are using a cage, attach the windbreak to keep the container in an upright position.
4. Keep your tomato plants well hydrated, especially in hot water. Every tomato could use a good soaking on a regular basis. Home kits for drip irrigation are easy to install or choose a soaker hose for a deep hydration of the soil. And if you choose not to invest in automation, the good old garden hose will do.
5. Add fertilizer or compost to keep your soil moist for maximum water intake to the plant. However, if you have just transplanted your tomatoes, give them two weeks to settle in before adding a mulch.
6. Estimate your garden space and choose between the determinate and indeterminate tomato vines. The former grows to a fixed length and works well with smaller spaces, and the latter will continue to spread beyond the boundaries you have set for your garden.
7. When planting seedlings, be sure to leave ample room for the tomatoes to grow. Cramped quarters will cause some of the vines to choke and block the mandatory sunlight for others to thrive.
8. Prune the under lying leaves away, especially the discolored ones that are showing signs of disease. Infections will spread quickly and can destroy the bulk of your harvest. In addition, to protect the healthy vine, its best to use clippers rather than plucking the dead leaves.
9. When transplanting a tomato, be sure to submerge the plant three quarters into the ground. The depth will allow the plant to adapt quickly to its new environment and sprout its new roots.
10. Plant your tomatoes after the last cold snap of the year. Frost can do great damage to any young plant, and the tomatoes are highly susceptible. If your tomatoes were planted in the spring, you should be able to harvest from the same vines for the entire season.
Joe Cline writes articles for Austin Texas real estate. Other articles written by the author related to Austin real estate and Round Rock real estate can be found on the net.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Cline