Green tomatoes differ from ripe tomatoes not only in color. They contain dangerous toxic substances, like all immature fruits of the nightshade family. But their proper use can bring considerable benefits to the body. We will talk about the useful and harmful properties of unripe tomatoes, as well as how to safely eat them, in this article.

Chemical composition and calorie content

The taste of green tomatoes is different from the taste of ripe tomatoes. However, unripe fruits contain many useful substances for the human body. 100 g of green tomatoes contain only 23 kcal. The amount of fat in the indicated portion of the product is 0.2 g, protein is 1.2 g, carbohydrates is 5.1 g. The amount of digestible carbohydrates (mono- and disaccharides) is 4 g per 100 g of product.

Did you know? The birthplace of tomatoes is South America. There they still grow in their natural environment.

The chemical composition of unripe tomatoes includes the following components:

• water (about 93%);
• dietary fiber (up to 1.1%);
• ash (about 0.5%);
• vitamins of groups A and B, C, E, K, PP necessary for a person;
• various macrocells (phosphorus, sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium);
• useful trace elements (iron, manganese, aluminum, copper, selenium, zinc);
• essential amino acids (lysine, leucine, phenylalanine, threonine, valine, arginine, isoleucine, histidine, methionine, tryptophan);
• interchangeable amino acids (glutamic and aspartic acids, alanine, serine, glycine, proline, tyrosine, cysteine);
• fatty Omega-6 and Omega-3 acids, as well as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated acids (linoleic, palmitic, oleic, stearic, linolenic, palmitoleic).

The effect of green tomatoes on the body

Many people are sure that green tomatoes should not be eaten at all. But thanks to the rich vitamin composition of these vegetables, their use can positively affect the human body. Although you should not forget about the harmful qualities of this product and contraindications. The most dangerous component of these vegetables is solanine - a poisonous substance that can cause food poisoning and even death. The darker the emerald color of the tomato, the more solanine it contains.

Important! So that the use of green tomatoes does not cause negative consequences, you must follow the measure and process the tomatoes correctly.

Benefit and harm

• List of useful properties of unripe tomatoes:
• support immunity;
• accelerate metabolic processes in the body, resulting in improved functioning of the digestive tract;
• useful for blood vessels, prevent the occurrence of thrombosis;
• interfere with the formation and development of cancer cells;
• contribute to an increase in hemoglobin;
• help weight loss;
• beneficial effect on the musculoskeletal system;
• stimulate brain activity, strengthen memory;
• increase the general tone of the body and mood;
• contribute to the rejuvenation of the body and the restoration of the skin after injuries;
• help fight nicotine addiction.

• They can be used as an additional drug for such diseases:
• varicose veins - compresses with these vegetables help reduce varicose veins;
• diabetes mellitus - help normalize sugar levels;
• vascular diseases - reduce blood pressure and remove harmful cholesterol;
• diseases of the stomach - restore the acid-base balance;
• hypertension - help eliminate edema;
• burns - contribute to the speedy restoration of the skin.

Did you know? The very first tomato recipe was published in an Italian cookbook in 1692.

• Let's talk in more detail about what these vegetables are harmful:
• High concentration of solanine. Once in the body, this substance negatively affects red blood cells and causes poisoning. For a person with a weak immune system, it is enough to eat 5-6 green fruits to feel nausea and weakness.
• A large number of nitrates. Their share in unripe fruits can be up to 11%! Nitrates disrupt the liver, which can lead to intoxication of the body.
• They can cause a serious allergic reaction, especially in children and the elderly.

Contraindications

Despite a long list of positive qualities, green tomatoes can be contraindicated in a certain category of people. These vegetables can not be consumed in such cases:

• tendency to food allergies;
• gout or arthritis - substances contained in green tomatoes can aggravate these diseases;
• heart disease - salted and pickled tomatoes can cause swelling;
• kidney disease - when eating pickled vegetables, fluid is retained in the body, kidney stones may form;
• pregnancy, lactation - a high content of solanine is dangerous for the health of children.

How to use

You can’t eat green tomatoes raw. One of the main repulsive factors is the unpleasant bitter taste of vegetables. But you can get rid of it with the help of small culinary tricks. And the saturated emerald color of tomatoes will make the appearance of the dishes beautiful and original. Unripe tomatoes are used for cooking:

• pickled snacks;
• stuffed tomatoes;
• salted vegetable preparations for the winter;
• spicy vegetable caviar;
• salads;
• stews and vegetable stews;
• preserves.

Important! Between the use of green tomatoes and dishes containing meat, fish, eggs or flour products, you must definitely take a break of at least 2 hours.

In addition to tomatoes, onions, carrots, bell peppers, cabbage, garlic, a variety of seasonings and hot spices are added to these dishes. To make jam, vegetables are stuffed with raisins and nuts, and then boiled in sugar syrup.

Video: pickled green tomatoes

How to reduce harm to the body

In order for the consumption of green tomatoes to be safe and not lead to poisoning, it is necessary to reduce the concentration of toxic components in them. This can be achieved by heat treatment of tomatoes or their soaking.

Heat treatment

If you expose the green fruits to thorough heat treatment, you can significantly reduce the level of toxic solanine. Tomatoes are often blanched. This helps preserve the maximum nutrients and the green color of the fruit. For blanching, washed vegetables are dipped in boiling water for several minutes.

Covering the container with a lid is not recommended to preserve the beautiful emerald color of vegetables. After the specified time, the tomatoes are taken out of boiling water. You can immediately place them in a container with cold water to stop the heat treatment of the fruit.

Soaking

To remove harmful solanine from tomatoes can also be done by soaking in salt water. Washed tomatoes are placed in a suitable container and filled with salt water. For maximum effectiveness, this procedure should be repeated several times, changing the saline solution every 1-2 hours. Green tomatoes processed in this way become safe for the body of a healthy person.Under prolonged exposure to salt, the unpleasant bitter taste of vegetables disappears. The proper use of unripe tomatoes will not only be beneficial for the body, but also help to diversify the menu with new spicy dishes from these vegetables.