A Tomato Sauce Allergy In Children

Tomatoes are botanically related to the potato, both included in the nightshade family of plants. Usually children who have an allergy to potatoes, also have an allergy to tomatoes.

There are at least four concepts to keep in mind about food allergies, namely avoidance, education, awareness, and preparedness. Your awareness of the problem of allergies in children is the initial motivator to encourage you to educate yourself more on this condition.

Education will increase your awareness and you will know the factors that can trigger an allergic reaction. This allows you to better prepare for situations in which an allergic reaction may occur.

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Tomatoes Allergy

Allergy to a tomato sauce can cause common symptoms such as other allergic reactions. Nausea, vomiting, skin rash, itching, airway constriction, wheezing, and swelling of the mouth, tongue, and lips.

These symptoms will usually appear within 45 minutes after people who have allergies consume tomatoes. However, a severe allergic reaction to tomatoes are scarce.

A doctor makes a diagnosis by observing tomato allergy symptoms and take your child's medical history. Diagnostic tests will be done if your child is suspected allergic to tomatoes.

Your child's blood will be taken and processed in the laboratory to detect the presence of antibodies to allergens tomatoes. Test results can be seen within 24 hours.

Warnings and Considerations

Anaphylactic shock due to food allergies can be fatal, it affects about 1 million people in the U.S. each year. If your child has a severe allergy to tomato sauce, anaphylactic shock reactions are possible. Take your child to the emergency room immediately if you suspect he suffered anaphylactic shock.

The symptoms of anaphylactic shock are narrowing of the airways, difficulty breathing and fainting that occurs between 5 to 15 minutes after exposure to an allergen.

A study published in 2001 investigated the cross-reactivity of tomato and latex allergens in a group of 40 children and young adults with allergic to tomatoes. If your child is allergic to tomato sauce, chances are she is also sensitive to latex as well. Consultation with your doctor immediately if you suspect your child may have some allergy sensitivity.

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Nutritional Value Of Tomatoes

Although the tomato originated in America, but not many people used to eat it until after becoming popular in Europe. Tomato is currently the fourth most popular vegetable after potatoes, lettuce, and onions.

Actually tomato is a fruit, but many people consider it a vegetable based nutritional composition, flavor, and how to use. Tomatoes are widely used in various cuisines, including Mexican, Italian, Indonesian, and India.

Calories, Carbohydrates, and Fiber in Tomatoes

Tomatoes are low-calorie foods. Therefore, you need not worry to eat tomatoes. As you know, low-calorie foods can make you easier to maintain your weight. A 1 cup serving of sliced ​​or chopped tomatoes contains only 32 calories. Most of these calories come from carbohydrate content.

Carbohydrate content in tomatoes will not cause a significant increase in blood sugar, it is because tomatoes have a low glycemic index. Eating more foods with a low glycemic index is very good for heart health and reduce the risk of diabetes.

Aside from being a source of healthy carbohydrates, tomatoes are also a source of fiber. Adequacy of fiber in the body will help lower blood cholesterol levels and helps prevent constipation. A 1 cup serving of tomato contains about 7 g of carbohydrates and 2.2 g fiber.

Vitamins and Minerals in Tomatoes

Tomatoes contain enough essential vitamins and minerals needed to maintain a healthy body. A 1 cup serving sliced ​​or chopped tomato contains about 25 mg of vitamin C, 1,499 IU vitamin A, 27 mcg folate, and 427 mg of potassium.

Vitamin C is an excellent antioxidant for skin beauty. While vitamin B or folate is indispensable in the formation of red blood cells and DNA. Vitamin A helps the growth and health of bones and teeth, as well as maintaining eye health. While potassium is an essential mineral needed to maintain a healthy heart and muscle contraction.

Protein and Fat in Tomatoes

Tomatoes are not a good source of protein and fat. As you know, protein is needed by the body to build new cells and maintain muscle mass. While fat, than as a source of energy, fat also helps in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. To follow a balanced diet, you should be able to meet the needs adequate protein and fat. A 1 cup serving of tomato only contains about 1.5 g of protein and 0.4 g fat.

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Tomatoes Health Benefits For Pregnancy

The needs of nutrients and vitamins for pregnant women are different from those who are not pregnant. Pregnant women need more intake of nutrients and vitamins to ensure the fetus in the womb can grow healthily, and also to make a pregnant woman's body stay strong and healthy of course.

And increase the consumption of fruits is one of the things that are highly recommended. Among the many options, tomatoes can be selected as a fresh and healthy snacks during pregnancy. Tomatoes are good for pregnancy.

Vitamin C and Iron In Tomatoes

As mentioned previously, vitamins in tomatoes quite a lot, especially for vitamin C. This vitamin is very important and necessary during pregnancy to keep yourself and your baby healthy. Vitamin C helps the formation of bones and teeth, as well as maintain healthy gums.

Vitamin C also helps the absorption of iron, which is an important and vital minerals during pregnancy. As you know, pregnant women need more iron intake. Because of this, many doctors recommend additional iron supplements to pregnant women. And consuming tomatoes may help your body better absorb iron from the food you consume.

Lycopene in Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a good source of lycopene, an antioxidant compound that is believed to protect cell damage in the body. Many Institutes of Health state that it is safe for pregnant women to consume foods that contain lycopene.

Although the safety of lycopene supplement for pregnant women still need further research. So if you are currently pregnant, do not hesitate to consume tomatoes to get the benefits of lycopene in it. All you have to avoid is taking lycopene supplements.

New Developments and Considerations

A new breakthrough made ​​by a plant biochemist at the University of Florida, which is engineered tomatoes that contain folate, the essential vitamin to avoid genetic defects in babies. All pregnant women are advised to be sure to get the right amount of these nutrients.

Folate usually found in dark green vegetables. Genetic engineering makes the tomatoes become a valuable source of folate. But this will still take many more years to be perfect.

Meanwhile, it turns out tomatoes also can cause discomfort for some pregnant women. During the second half of pregnancy, many pregnant women experience heartburn. Acidic foods like tomatoes may be able to exacerbate this problem in some pregnant women, and make heartburn worse. If you are experiencing heartburn, reduce the consumption of tomatoes and avoid other foods that cause digestive problems.

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Benefits Of Vitamins In Tomatoes

Tomatoes have gained more attention in recent decades, because the content of a carotenoid called lycopene, which is believed to offer antioxidant benefits. In some studies, lycopene is known to reduce the risk of some cancers, especially breast and prostate cancer. Tomatoes are commonly used in a variety of cuisines, including Indonesian, Indian, Italian, and Mexican. Tomatoes are also rich in several essential vitamins.

Vitamin A

Tomatoes are a good source of vitamin A. One cup serving of tomato provides about 58 mcg or about 7% of the daily intake of vitamin A is recommended. Function of vitamin A is to help maintain strong bones and teeth, protects the lungs, kidneys, and bladder from bacterial and fungal infections.

Vitamin A is also necessary to control acne and prevent skin infections. In addition, the vitamin is essential for preventing night blindness.

Vitamin B3

In one cup servings of tomatoes there are around 1,227 mg of vitamin B3, equivalent to 8% of the recommended daily intake, according to the USDA. Vitamin B3, also known as niacin is a vitamin that helps boost blood circulation in the arteries and blood vessels, which can ease the heart's workload.

This vitamin helps reduce levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the bloodstream. This vitamin also helps the body to metabolize fats, proteins, and carbohydrates are used for energy and cell repair.

Vitamin C

Tomato is a fruit that is very rich in vitamin C. One cup serving of cooked tomatoes contain about 55 mg of vitamin C, equivalent to 61% of the recommended daily intake for adults who are not pregnant. The highest content of vitamin C is in the tomato skin, but also present in the juice. Function of vitamin C is to boost the immune system and fight free radicals that attack healthy cells, causing cancer.

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Tomatoes Health Benefits For Weight Loss

Tomatoes have many health and beauty benefits. Including to help lose weight. To get the maximum benefit for your health and your diet, it is advisable to consume this fruit regularly every day.

Tomatoes In Your Meal

Some people who know little about the benefits of tomatoes want to lose weight quickly. They think just by eating tomatoes for a short time can make their body become slim fast.

This is certainly wrong. Since there are no foods that contain all the nutrients the body needs, including tomatoes. Although tomatoes contain a variety of nutrients, but the consumption of tomatoes alone would not suffice for the needs of your body.

You still need to eat a varied diet, but by incorporating tomatoes as one of the healthy foods in your diet. Weight loss program will work well if you cultivate a good lifestyle. Adjust your sleep patterns and run a nutritionally balanced diet. Make a glass of tomato juice as part of your breakfast menu.

Nutrition in Tomatoes

The content of nutrients in tomatoes is very abundant. And this is certainly very beneficial to your body's health. Nutrients contained in tomatoes instrumental improve your physical health, among others:

• Lycopene, an antioxidant to counteract the free radicals that can cause oxidation, that can delay aging on the human body.
• Pectin, a fiber that can accelerate intestinal peristalsis.
• Glutamine and aspartic acid strengthen the flavor of the food.
• Potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc minerals are substances that can increase the absorption of vitamins.
• Citric acid and malic acid may increase appetite and reduce fatigue.
• Glucose can greatly reduce mental and physical fatigue by supplying quick energy absorption.
• Vitamins in it effectively prevent various diseases, including skin health.

Tomato Consumption Benefits For Weight Loss

Some of the benefits that can be obtained through the consumption of tomatoes for weight loss programs include:

• Improve metabolism. Fiber, lycopene and other nutrients contained in tomatoes can lower cholesterol and accelerate your metabolism.
• Beautify the skin. Lycopene is an antioxidant that can counteract free radicals in the human body and prevents skin dryness.
• Increasing appetite.
• Lose weight with tomatoes also accelerate the release of growth hormone during sleep and increases metabolism.

Tomatoes health benefits for weight loss is the real thing if applied appropriately. So do not hesitate to include this fruit in your diet!

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Cherry Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes are the smallest type of all variants of the tomato. This type of tomato is becoming known in the 1800's. Thought to originate from Peru and northern Chile. Cherry tomato size varies from as small as a cherry to a golf ball. Fruit shape from perfectly round to slightly oval. When young, cherry tomatoes have a pale green color, and when ripe the color changed to yellow, orange, or red.

A Brief History of Cherry Tomatoes

Based on historical records, cherry tomatoes were first cultivated by the Aztecs who brought the tomato seeds from around Mexico. From there cherry tomatoes gradually spread throughout the world. On the other hand, in Greece there is also a tomato plant that is similar to cherry tomatoes. The Greeks called it by the name of Santorini. Santorini seeds carried by a monk who came from Egypt in 1875. Since that this type of tomato has been cultivated intensively.

Cherry tomatoes popularity occurred around the 1900's, when the cherry tomatoes were introduced to America. This type of tomato is often consumed directly because it tastes sweet, or often also used as a mixture in the salad. Type of the most famous cherry tomatoes in America is Sweet 100.

Cherry Tomato Cultivation

Cherry tomatoes suitable for planting in areas with temperatures between 16-27 degrees Celsius and at an altitude of about 600-1200 meters. Cherry tomatoes will be very good if grown in greenhouses with hydroponic systems.

The fruit is said to have a good quality if it has a smooth skin and a flat color in all parts of the fruit. To maintain a sense of sweet and fresh, it is not advisable to store the cherry tomatoes in the refrigerator.


Although small in size, cherry tomatoes turned out to have no less nutrients than any other tomato. Therefore, tomatoes health benefits can also be obtained by eating cherry tomatoes regularly.

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Types Of Tomatoes

Did you know if there are many types of tomatoes that are successfully cultivated all over the world?

Almost every country has a different kind of tomato variants. However, regardless of the different types of tomatoes, usually the types of tomato plants divided by height, fruit shape, and functionality.

Types of tomatoes by plant height

1. Determinate

Determinate group was the shortest among the tomato plants, which only ranged from 50-80 cm only. This group cannot grow tall because of the end of the crop topped with flower arrangements. This species has a relatively very short life so it can be harvested more quickly.


2. Intermediate

Intermediate group is a type of tomato plants that can be grown up to 2 meters high. Tomato plants that included in this group requires staking / cage for support. However, although it can grow very tall, age of the plant in this group was only about 4-5 months.

3. Hybrids

This group is the result of a cross between determinate and intermediate classes. Because it is a cross between the two groups, these varieties have properties of both groups.

Besides grouping by physical form, types of tomatoes are also largely determined by the shape of fruit and usefulness.

Types of tomatoes based on size and shape

1. Plum Tomatoes

As the name implies, this tomatoes looks like a plum. Oval rounded shape, flesh contains a lot of water and has a thin skin surface. Plum tomatoes are generally processed to be used as a sauce or tomato juice.

2. Beefsteak Tomatoes

Beefsteak tomato has the largest shape when compared to other types. Because of its large size, this type of tomatoes is often used to make a sandwich or hamburger. But often the cooks also use it as a stir fry or other dishes that require tomatoes in large size.

3. Cherry Tomatoes

This type of tomatoes is small and somewhat oval. When young the color is pale green, and when fully ripe the color changed to reddish orange. Cherry tomatoes flavor is quite sweet, and contains quite a lot of juice. Commonly used as a salad dressing or eaten fresh.

4. Pear Tomatoes

This type of tomatoes is indeed similar to pear fruit (such as tears fall), only the shape is much smaller than pear fruit. It has a wide range of colors, ranging from red, orange, and yellow, and it was pretty sweet. Generally consumed straight or as a salad dressing.

5. Grape Tomatoes

Grape tomatoes are the smallest variant among others. Unlike the cherry tomatoes that tend to be oval, the shape of grape tomatoes tends to be more rounded and smaller. Because it tastes pretty sweet, grape tomatoes often consumed directly or used as a salad.

However, regardless of the types, all types of tomatoes have nutrients approximately the same. And certainly equally beneficial for health.

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