The question of whether to consume peeled or unpeeled tomato would fall into the same bag as the old question of whether it is good to eat melon at night, drink water during meals or if the fruit should be eaten between meals or after eating. In many cases we are not clear if they are myths that for some reason have settled in our imagination or if, on the contrary, there is some truth in the popular wisdom that says, in this case, that it is better to eat tomatoes without the skin.
Dr. Diego Sánchez Muñoz, specialist in the Digestive System and medical director of the Digestive Institute of Seville (IDI), gives us the answer: "Tomato skin is a very valuable nutritional element, so its intake is in principle beneficial. Just as than that of many other vegetables and fruits, it is very rich in compounds very necessary for health in general, and for digestive health in particular, such as vitamin C, dietary fiber, minerals such as potassium and other antioxidants.
Therefore, if there is no contraindication, it is best to consume both the skin of the tomato and that of other fruits and vegetables, since we will be benefiting from all its nutrients.
However, there are some caveats that may make it advisable to avoid tomato skins. "There are people who have special hypersensitivity to some compounds in this skin, either due to allergic problems or because they have some disease of the digestive system that makes the digestion of this skin difficult and even irritating," explains Sánchez Muñoz. In these cases, it is advisable to always peel the tomato before consuming it, which can also happen with other fruits. In any case, the doctor remembers that "if they are prepared at high temperatures and with certain ways of cooking, tomatoes can lose part of their properties, while raw or natural they keep them intact."
Therefore, it is not about avoiding tomato skin as a general measure, but rather keeping in mind in which cases it may be better not to consume it. A good example, according to Sánchez Muñoz, is those people who have some digestive pathology, such as irritable bowel syndrome. "During outbreaks, difficulties may appear not only in digesting tomato skin, but also that of many other foods," explains the doctor. "This does not mean - he continues - that these patients have to avoid eating unpeeled tomatoes always, but rather that in certain circumstances of more active disease it may be advisable to do without the skin. In any case, this recommendation should be individualized and not be general, since due to the richness of fiber in the skin it is very beneficial in acute situations such as gastroenteritis or colitis.
Numerous scientific studies support the benefits of consuming both the skin of tomatoes and those of other fruits and vegetables. One of them, carried out by scientists from the Institute of Material Sciences of Seville (ICMS-CSIC) and the Institute of Subtropical and Mediterranean Horticulture La Mayora (IHSM-CSIC), concludes that there are certain compounds in tomato skin that intervene in the protection against ultraviolet rays. The research, published in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science, indicates that the cuticle (the outermost part of the tomato skin) acts as a protective agent against environmental stresses such as harmful radiation, thermal and mechanical damage, and water loss. .
Another study, in this case prepared by the Ohio College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, indicates, in this sense, that the protective effects of tomatoes on free radicals reduce the appearance of skin tumors by up to 50%. . Apparently, the key lies in lycopene, one of the components of this fruit responsible for its characteristic red color. And that's not all: research published in the journal Hospital Nutrition indicates that lycopene present in tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables reduces the risk of prostate and breast cancer and protects bones, among many other functions. Therefore, its intake "can be considered as a non-pharmacological preventive and therapeutic measure for different types of diseases."
There are those who believe, on the other hand, that it is essential to peel both tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables due to the possible dangers to food safety that ingesting the skin may pose. The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) denies this belief and assures that eating them with their skin does not pose any type of threat to health as long as they are handled correctly. For a complete cleaning, a study from the University of Massachusetts recommends using baking soda to eliminate possible traces of pesticides that may remain on the skins of fruits and vegetables.
Finally, we must not forget that in addition to the amount of nutrients that tomatoes present, it is a satiating and low-calorie fruit, so it is a great option to include in your daily life and not gain weight. It is explained by nutritionist Paloma Quintana, who remembers that, despite being a fruit, tomatoes have less sugar on average than the rest. "We must keep in mind that although fruits are low-calorie foods, rich in fiber, healthy, nutritious and essential in the diet, vegetables and greens are always ahead, since they gain nutritional density and are low in calories , in addition to having less sugar. The exception would be the tomato, which despite being a fruit contains about 22 calories per 100 g and just 4 g of carbohydrates compared to the 20-22 that a piece of fruit usually has."
