Lettuce and tomato

 

Lettuce Nutrition Facts

• Lettuce is one of the lowest calorie foods in the world – both by weight and by volume. There are only 10-20 calories in 2 cups of lettuceLettuce is a virtually fat free food and is an excellent source of fiber and water.
• Most lettuce varieties are rich sources of vitamins A (~50% DV) and K (>100% DV) and provide some vitamin C as well.
• Lettuce is also a good source of folate and iron.

Health Benefits of Lettuce

• Fiber supports normal bowel movements and helps lower cholesterol levels.
• Vitamin K is essential for blood clotting, heart health, and building strong bones.
• Vitamins A and C are both antioxidants, which help prevent cell damage from free radicals.
• Vitamin A also helps with vision while vitamin C strengthens the immune system and supports healthy skin.
• Folate is a key coenzyme to hundreds of metabolic processes and is required for cell division.
• Iron is a key component of hemoglobin, which delivers oxygen to tissues. Deficiency can cause anemia

Research on Lettuce Specific to T2 Diabetes

Certain components in lettuce have been shown to be effective at reducing hyperglycemia in rats with diabetes.

It also seems to help improve glucose metabolism and reduce fatty liver in the obese.

Lettuce is rich in antioxidants, which are useful in protecting against oxidative damage. This is great because when you have type 2 diabetes, increased production of free radicals causing oxidative damage can occur.

Interestingly, lettuce helps reduce insomnia, and we all know how important sleep is for proper hormonal and blood sugar regulation in diabetes.

Finally, lettuce reduces inflammation, another underlying precursor to diabetes.

Points for Consideration

Lettuce can harbor a host of bacteria, viruses, or parasites and there have been unfortunate outbreaks of illness of E. Coli or Salmonella from contaminated lettuce. Be watchful of where you get your lettuce sources and be sure to clean it well before consuming.

Check food recalls regularly and remember to report any symptoms you feel may be related to foodborne illness.

Lettuce and Diabetes Conclusion

Lettuce is a wonderful addition to a healthy balanced diet and does not add much by way of calories or carbohydrates. We wholeheartedly endorse lettuce as one of the 20 all-you-can eat vegetables!

 Benefits of Eating tomatoes:

Discover the bountiful health benefits of tomatoes!

You might want to trade your apple a day for another juicy red bite: a tomato. Research has found that the versatile fruit — yes, it's a fruit, and technically a berry — boasts bountiful health benefits. One medium-size raw tomato packs more than one gram of fiber into just 22 calories, according to data published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), along with potassium, vitamin A, and the antioxidant lycopene. Tomatoes also have the distinction of being the fruit with the highest water content, according to UCLA Health, which notes that at 94 percent, they are even more hydrating than watermelon.

Tomatoes can be readily found fresh, canned, or in products such as paste or sauce, which makes them easy to incorporate into weekly menus and accessible for most budgets. Tomato paste actually has more concentrated nutrients than raw or canned, says Jennifer Christman, RDN, the director of clinical nutrition at Optavia, but cooking fresh ones down into, say, a pasta sauce, can provide a similar bang by stewing out the water content, past research shows. “If you do choose processed tomato products, look for ones without added sugar, salt, and oil when possible,” Christman recommends.

Tomatoes are technically a fruit because they fit the botanical definition of one: they are the fleshy parts of a plant that surround its seeds. However, for nutritional and culinary purposes, tomatoes are considered a vegetable due to their taste, use in meals, and nutrient content.

Tomato Nutrition Facts

For ripe, red tomatoes, 100 grams have the following, according to the USDA:

• Calories: 18 calories
• Fat: <1 gram
• Cholesterol: 0 milligrams
• Sodium: 5 milligrams
• Carbohydrates:3.89 grams
• Fiber: 1.20 grams
• Protein: <1 gram

Tomatoes are low in calories and provide important nutrients like vitamin C and potassium. They're also rich in antioxidants—one called lycopene, responsible for tomatoes' characteristic color, is linked to several benefits, such as a reduced risk of heart disease and certain cancers.

Benefits

Research shows that tomatoes in many forms—fresh, cooked and as juice—help protect against chronic diseases and support a physically active lifestyle.

May help protect brain health

In America, 10% of adults aged 65 years or older have Alzheimer's disease.The disease—which affects memory, thinking, and behavior—is a form of dementia that has no cure and that gets worse over time.

While more research on the connection between tomatoes and AD is needed, studies have suggested that the antioxidants in tomatoes, such as lycopene, may protect against neurodegenerative diseases like AD. One study showed that, over four years, there was a slower decline in cognitive function among participants aged 70 years or older who had a high lycopene intake.

More research on humans, specifically on adults aged 60 to 65, is needed to better understand the true connection between the potential protective benefits of tomatoes and AD and other neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's disease.

May help combat metabolic syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and other serious health problems. It involves having three or more of the following conditions:

• A large waistline
• High blood pressure
• High blood sugar
• High triglycerides or blood fats
• Low "good" HDL cholesterol

About one in three US adults has metabolic syndrome. Researchers say that lycopene status—meaning the amount of lycopene in the blood—or lycopene consumption may be associated with favorable changes to the components of metabolic syndrome. And tomatoes are a major contributor of lycopene.

For one small study, 15 participants drank tomato juice once a day four times per week for two months with no specified amount. Despite the lack of a standardized portion of the juice, the group experienced significant decreases in "bad" LDL cholesterol, increases in "good" HDL cholesterol, and improvements in fasting insulin levels.

Helps protect heart health

A tomato-rich diet has been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death for adults in the US. One review of 25 previously published studies reported that a high intake of lycopene—as well as high blood levels of the antioxidant—reduced the risk of heart disease by 14%.

Another study of healthy people looked at the effect of a single dose of raw tomatoes, tomato sauce, or tomato sauce plus olive oil on measurements related to heart disease risk. All three doses reduced blood cholesterol and triglycerides—a type of fat in your blood—and raised HDL cholesterol and anti-inflammatory levels. The tomato sauce plus olive oil had the maximum effect, likely because the olive oil boosted the absorption of lycopene.

May help prevent constipation

Inadequate fluid and fiber can trigger constipation. Tomatoes provide both nutrients, with one whole tomato containing over four ounces of fluid and one and a half grams of fiber.

The water content and dietary fibers found in tomatoes are known to support hydration and healthy bowel movements. Tomatoes are an important source of both soluble and insoluble dietary fibers. Soluble fiber retains water to create a gel-like texture during digestion while insoluble fiber adds bulk to stool. Both of these changes form waste that is easier to pass. Specifically, the cellulose, hemicelluloses, and pectins fibers in tomatoes are resistant to digestion in the large intestine and help form healthy stool.

May help prevent type 2 diabetes

Among US adults, 14.7% have type 2 diabetes and 38% have a preditable, when blood sugar levels are too high but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes.15 Some research shows that the antioxidant properties of lycopene contribute to the prevention of type 2 diabetes. This is due to its ability to protect cells from damage, reduce inflammation, and boost the body's defense mechanisms.16 Tomatoes' fiber can also help protect against diabetes.13

May reduce cancer risk

Lycopene and beta-carotene, two antioxidants found in tomatoes, have been shown to possess anticancer properties. They do this in part by protecting against the kind of DNA damage in cells that can lead to the development of cancer and by causing cancer cells to die off.

Several studies have found that men with higher intakes of tomatoes—particularly cooked tomatoes—have a lower risk of prostate cancer. And, as a whole, eating non-starchy vegetables like tomatoes has been linked to a lower risk of estrogen receptor–negative breast tumors as well as cancer of the colon, rectum, lung, stomach, and upper aerodigestive tract (like the mouth, throat, and nasal sinuses).

May aid immune function

The vitamin C and beta-carotene in tomato juice may help support the immune system. One study found that tomato juice significantly increased levels of immune cells, including a type called natural killer cells known to fend off viruses.

Nutrition

One whole tomato provides the following:

• Calories: 22.5
• Carbohydrates: 4.86g
• Fat: 0.25g
• Protein: 1.1g
• Vitamin C: 17.1mg, 19% of the daily value
• Potassium: 296mg, 6% of the daily value
• Vitamin K: 9.88mcg, 8% of the daily value
• Folate: 18.8mcg, 4.7% of the daily value

The vitamin C in tomatoes acts as an antioxidant and is important for skin, bones, and connective tissue. It also promotes healing and helps the body absorb iron.

Potassium is a mineral needed to build proteins in the body, including muscle; break down and use carbohydrates; and regulate heart rhyme and pH balance.

Vitamin K is required for blood to clot and also helps maintain strong bones in older adults.

Folate helps produce DNA, the building block of the human body. It also helps form red blood cells to prevent anemia and works with vitamins B12 and C to help the body break down, use, and create new proteins and tissues.

Consuming tomatoes in other forms, like juice, sauce, or paste changes the nutrition facts compared to whole, fresh tomatoes. Check nutrition labels to assess calories and nutrient levels. And read ingredient lists to identify potential additives, like sodium or sugar.

Summary

Tomatoes offer several potential research-backed benefits, including protection for brain, heart, and gut health. The vegetable, which is also considered a fruit, is a solid source of nutrients like vitamin C, potassium, and antioxidants—namely, lycopene.

There might be some potential downsides to consuming them—especially depending on your health status—but most people can eat both raw and cooked tomatoes as part of a balanced diet. For guidance about whether tomatoes and the nutrients like lycopene they contain may help with a specific condition, talk with a healthcare provider.