During hot summers, people often have little appetite and are too lazy to cook heavy soups or stir-fry dishes. However, with this simple seafood and tomato soup recipe, you can have a delicious and healthy meal in just ten minutes! Let's take a look at how to make it.
Ingredients:
Seafood (moderate amount)
One bowl of tomatoes
Water (the right amount)
1/2 onion
Garlic (average amount)
Italian spices (a little)
2 bay leaves
Salt (a little)
Black pepper (a little)
Instructions:
1. Place 2/3 of the bowl of tomatoes and water in a juicer and puree. Reserve the remaining 1/3 bowl of tomatoes. Chop the onion and garlic.
2. Sauté the onion and garlic in a pan, then add the tomato juice, bay leaves, and Italian spices. Cook together to make a tomato and onion soup.
3. In a separate pot of water, add the seafood ingredients and salt to taste. Wait until the seafood is cooked.
4. Pour the soup into a bowl, and sprinkle it with Italian spices and black pepper.
Tomatoes are rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, making them very beneficial to health. Studies have shown that these nutrients can help prevent many diseases, such as heart disease and cancer.
Tomato soup is an excellent way to cook tomatoes to make the most of their benefits. Let's take a closer look at the nutritional benefits of tomato soup.
1. Tomato soup is very healthy.
Tomatoes are rich in carotenoids, or lycopene, which provides 80% of the daily value of lycopene. Lycopene is a pigment that gives tomatoes their bright red color and has the potential to prevent various chronic diseases.
Interestingly, studies have shown that the body absorbs lycopene better when tomatoes are cooked, making heated tomatoes more nutrient-rich. That's why tomato soup is so nutritious.
2. Rich in antioxidants.
Antioxidants are compounds that help neutralize the harmful effects of oxidative stress and eliminate cellular damage caused by free radicals. Tomato soup is rich in antioxidants such as lycopene, flavonoids, vitamin C, and vitamin E.
Consuming antioxidants may reduce the risk of cancer and inflammation-related diseases, such as obesity and heart disease. Studies have also shown that the antioxidant effects of vitamin C and flavonoids may help prevent type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and brain disease. Additionally, vitamin E enhances the antioxidant effects of vitamin C.
3. Reduces the risk of heart disease.
Tomatoes are high in lycopene and vitamin C, which may help lower levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol - two of the major risk factors for heart disease.
Both lycopene and vitamin C prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, which is a risk factor for atherosclerosis. Lycopene also reduces cholesterol absorption in the intestine and improves HDL cholesterol function in the body.
4. Good for skin and eyesight.
Foods rich in carotenoids and vitamin A, such as tomatoes, are good for eye health. Eating tomatoes may reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration or blindness with age.
Their protective effect seems to come from their antioxidant properties, which reduce oxidative stress on the macula - a critical part of the eye. Additionally, the body converts beta-carotene to retinol, a compound essential for vision.
5. May have anti-cancer properties.
Tomatoes have been widely studied for their high lycopene content, which may help fight cancer. They may be particularly effective against prostate and breast cancers.
Prostate cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and the second most diagnosed cancer in men. Several studies have found a direct association between high lycopene intake, especially from cooked tomatoes, and a reduced risk of prostate cancer.
Studies have shown that lycopene may cause cancer cell death and it may also slow down the process of tumor growth called anti-angiogenesis. High levels of carotenoid intake can reduce the risk of breast cancer by 28%. These carotenoids include α-carotene, β-carotene, and lycopene.