A recipe for delicious tomato juice!

Tomato juice contains many valuable components, including lycopene, beta-carotene and vitamin C. At the same time, it has a rather distinctive taste, to which some people are gradually convinced. Given its high nutritional value, it's worth including it in your menu. Check out how to make tomato juice that is both delicious and healthy!

Why should you drink tomato juice?

Tomato juice is low in calories and contains many ingredients with health benefits.

A glass of juice (about 230 g) provides:

• 32 kcal;
• 1.8 g of protein;
• 0.5 g of fat;
• 7.6 g of carbohydrates;

In addition, it is a source of vitamins, minerals and polyphenols.

Vitamin C, K and beta-carotene

In tomato juice you will mainly find vitamins such as C and K, as well as provitamin A, or beta-carotene.

• Vitamin C - has an immunomodulatory effect, thus increasing resistance to infection. In addition, it participates in the synthesis of collagen, so it has a positive effect on the condition of the skin. Vitamin C plays an important role in vegetarian and vegan diets, as it increases the bioavailability of iron from plants.
• Vitamin K - is essential for proper blood clotting. In addition, it participates in the formation of bone tissue, and also exhibits antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects.
• Beta-carotene (provitamin A) - like vitamin C, it stimulates the immune system, thus increasing resistance to infection. Beta-carotene is also one of the powerful antioxidants. This means that it protects cells from damage caused by free radicals.

Lycopene - an important ingredient that protects against oxidative stress and cancer

The benefits of drinking tomato juice are very often discussed in terms of its high lycopene content. This is a compound that, like beta-carotene, belongs to the carotenoids. Interestingly, there is more of it in juice made from tomatoes than in vegetables consumed whole.

Lycopene has the highest antioxidant potential of all carotenoids. This means that it is the most effective at scavenging free radicals. As a result, it reduces the risk of oxidative stress, and thus cardiovascular disease and cancer (including prostate cancer).

Potassium - essential for proper heart function

Tomato juice is a very good source of potassium - a glass contains as much as 650 mg of this element! Considering that the adequate intake (AI) for people over 19 years old is 3500 mg, this means that it covers about 18% of the daily requirement.

Potassium performs many important functions in the body, among others:

• is responsible for the proper functioning of muscles (including the heart muscle),
• is necessary for the proper functioning of water-electrolyte and acid-base metabolism,
• takes part in the conduction of nerve impulses,
• participates in protein synthesis.

People who suffer from vomiting, diarrhea, as well as those who participate intensively in sports, are particularly vulnerable to its deficiency in the body. Significant loss of potassium with sweat also occurs during hot weather. Therefore, these are situations when it is worth paying special attention to rich sources of potassium (such as, for example, tomato juice).

How to make tomato juice that is delicious and healthy?

You can prepare tomato juice in just a few minutes with a juicer (such as Hurom h200). How to do it Just put the washed, peeled and chopped vegetables into the juicer. You don't have to limit yourself to tomatoes only. You can enrich their taste by adding other vegetables, as well as aromatic spices.

Tomato juice - recipe

In combination with tomatoes works well, among others:

• celery - low in calories (it has 17 kcal in 100 g), yet a source of dietary fiber, potassium, beta-carotene;
• garlic - considered a natural antibiotic;
• carrot - which is one of the best dietary sources of beta-carotene;
• basil - which facilitates digestion;

With the help of a juicer you will also prepare delicious and healthy vegetable and fruit juice. If you want it to have additional warming and anti-inflammatory properties, which will work well in autumn and winter, add ginger to it. To prepare such a juice you will need two tomatoes and apples and a few slices of fresh ginger.

In the so-called flu season, juice with the addition of garlic will also work perfectly. Due to its strong antibacterial properties, it has been recognized for years as a natural antibiotic. To make such a juice, you need three tomatoes and cucumbers and two cloves of garlic.

If you want to enrich the taste of tomato juice, it is also worth adding the right spices to it. Tomatoes go well with fresh basil, for example, as well as hot peppers. You can also add a little salt to the juice - but remember not to overdo it. Excessive sodium intake increases the risk of high blood pressure.

Tomato juice has a distinctive and rather intense flavor, which can be a disadvantage for some and an advantage for others. If you belong to the former group, don't be discouraged by it right away! Just combine tomatoes with other vegetables, fruits, as well as aromatic spices. The Hurom h200 juicer will help you prepare healthy juice in your favorite flavor in just a few minutes!