7 Effects Of Eating Too Many Tomatoes On Your Health

Tomatoes, with their vibrant color and rich flavor, are beloved staples in our diets. Packed with essential nutrients and antioxidants, they're often hailed as a symbol of good health. However, as with any food, moderation is key. While tomatoes offer a plethora of benefits, consuming them excessively might lead to unforeseen health issues. In this exploration, we delve into the surprising effects of eating too many tomatoes on your health. Unraveling the fine balance between their nutritional virtues and potential drawbacks, this guide sheds light on the lesser-known aspects of tomato consumption, ensuring you make informed choices for your well-being.

# May Cause Acid Reflux Or Heartburn

Regular and moderate consumption of tomatoes have been found to be very beneficial for our stomach and helps in keeping our digestive system healthy.

This benefit is mainly due to the presence of dietary fibers in them. They act as a natural laxative, improves bowel movement and ensures smooth elimination of waste from our system.By doing so, they not only provide relief from constipation but also reduces the risk of other digestive disorders like abdominal pain, bloating, irritable bowel syndrome, gas, etc.Although tomatoes are good for our stomach, still, it is better to eat enjoy them in moderation.

This is because they are acidic in nature ( because of the presence of malic acid and citric acids) and consuming them in excessive quantity may imbalance the acidic level of our stomach giving rise to problems like heartburn and acid reflux.At normal level, the acid present in the stomach is never a problem ( in fact it is MUST, as it facilitates digestion by breaking down food molecules ), but when the level of acid gets high ( like by eating acidic food) then acid starts flowing up in the esophagus and give rise to heartburn.

# May Cause Allergic Reactions

Tomatoes are a great source of many nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients, flavonoids, dietary fibers, etc. and provide numerous health and beauty benefits.However, these benefits can’t be enjoyed by the people who are allergic to tomatoes.Tomato allergy can trigger by consuming it and even by getting in skin contact with it.

Consuming tomatoes may give rise to allergic reactions like hives, skin rashes, eczema, coughing, sneezing, itchy throat, swollen face, swollen tongue, etc. (in individuals who are allergic to tomatoes).

# May Cause Kidney Problems

Consuming tomatoes on a regular and moderate basis has been found to be very beneficial in removing toxins and other impurities from our system.This toxin-removal benefit of tomatoes is mainly because of the abundance of water ( that flushes off toxins) and dietary fiber ( which improves bowel movement) in them.By removing toxins from our system, tomatoes also reduce the burden on our kidneys and aids in keeping them healthy.However, excessive consumption of tomatoes is bad for our kidneys.This is because consuming too many tomatoes may increase the level of potassium in our body.

# May Cause Irritable Bowel Syndrome

If you are suffering from Irritable bowel syndrome, then you should not at all include tomatoes in your diet.

Although they are good for our stomach and helps in keeping our digestive system healthy, they also host certain allergens that may cause or worsen the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

If you are not suffering from irritable bowel syndrome then you can enjoy tomatoes in moderation, but make sure that you are not allergic to them.

# May Cause Diarrhea

Consuming tomatoes on a regular basis has been found to be very effective in providing relief from constipation and for reducing the risk of other digestive problems like abdominal pain, bloating, indigestion, etc. This benefit is mainly due to the presence of dietary fibers in them. These dietary fibers act as a natural laxative, improves bowel movement and aids in the smooth elimination of waste from our system.However, it should also be noted that overeating tomatoes may give rise to diarrhea.The main culprit behind this side effect is “Salmonella”, an organism that causes diarrhea, and tomatoes have been found to be a source of them.

# May Contain Excessive Sodium Level

In raw form, the tomato is not a good source of sodium, and in fact, 100 grams of sodium only contains 5 mg of sodium.This is an advantage as this ensures that the low sodium level will not interfere with the blood pressure level, and this will reduce the risk of high blood pressure or hypertension.However, if you are going to enjoy tomatoes in other forms like soup and sauce then make sure that choose lower sodium version soup.Tomato soup can have an abnormally high level of the sodium level, and in fact, a single cup of tomato soup may contain between 700 to 1260 mg of sodium.Similarly, canned tomatoes also contain a high level of sodium ( around 220 mg of sodium for every cup of tomato sauce).

# May Cause Lycopenodermia

Tomatoes are an excellent source of lycopene, an important antioxidant that provides a number of benefits to our health. Some of the major benefits provided by lycopene are, reduce the risk of cancer, protects against oxidative damage caused by the free radicals, aids in keeping our eyes healthy. improves cognitive health, improves cardiovascular health, strengthens our bones, etc.

However, an excessive level of lycopene in our blood is also bad.It has been found that eating too many tomatoes can increase the level of lycopene in our body to a very high level, and this can give rise to lycopenodermia.Lycopenodermia is a condition that causes deep-orange coloration of our skin. Although this is not a health threat, it can definitely make your skin unattractive.The situation can easily be prevented by reducing the level of lycopene in our blood, and for this, it is advisable to eat tomatoes in moderation.