Gorge on tomatoes for healthy, acne-free skin

Sonia Narang, wellness expert at Oriflame India and Mehar Rajput, nutritionist and dietitian at Fitpass, a provider of access passes to gyms and fitness studios, have listed the benefits of tomatoes: 

* Tomatoes are great source of vitamin C, vitamin k, iron, folate, potassium and other nutrients, where one medium tomato equals to 22 kcal, 0gm fat, 5 gm carbohydrate, 1 gm dietary fiber, 1 gm protein, 5 gm of sodium.

* Tomatoes contain an antioxidant called Lycopene, which not only imparts red colour but also renders tremendous health benefits like reduction of cholesterol, improving vision and skin improvement.

* Tomatoes can be considered highly beneficial for your skin, face and hair as they contain all forms of major carotenoids such as alpha-beta carotene, lutein and lycopene. 

Out of these, Lycopene contains the highest antioxidative property, which is an excellent natural astringent and helps in reducing open pores. Using food with high content of lycopene, tomatoes reduce the damage caused to the skin from UV-A exposures. 

* Since tomatoes are considered as an amazing fruit for removing black heads off your face, rub a tomato slice on the affected areas of your skin.

* Repair sunburnt, dull and uneven skin tone by applying a homemade mask of tomato pulp mixed with curd. Just apply the mask on your skin and wash it off with cold water after 15 minutes. It will repair your skin tone realistically and make it feel refreshing.

* Tomatoes are also a good source for removing acne. The vitamin A, C, K and acidic properties of tomatoes help in reducing and clearing up of acne off your face. Just apply the pulp on your face and wash it off after 10 minutes to witness the results.

* Including tomatoes daily in your diet can reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure because tomatoes are rich in potassium. An adequate amount of potassium in the diet helps reduces water retention hence the puffiness on the face. 

One large tomatoes equals to 431 mg of potassium which is almost 10 per cent of your daily requirement.

* Tomatoes are low in calories, a great source of fibre plus have low Glycaemic index. It also contains considerable amount of Alpha - Lipoic acid which is an antioxidant.