Tomato, a typical ingredient of the Mediterranean tradition, is the richest vegetable in lycopene. Lycopene is a carotenoid with strong antioxidant properties able to ensure a protective effect by contrasting some "aggressive" compounds for the organism such as free radicals. Because of its own features, all products of Dog&Co Wellness .
Tomato is correctly considered the main vegetable. It has a long history: fruits of the first plants that arrived in Europe, grown mostly in France in a cold climate, remained small and yellowish. They often were twisted and not particularly eye-catching; the change of cultivation area modified its color and it became red. Then, the genetic selection made manually by botanists produced the myriad of varieties (to give un idea: 320 are the Italian types) that are available today.
In Italy tomato appeared for first time in 1596as an ornamental plant of the northern dwellings. Twenty years later, it arrived in the South where fruits became larger and orange-red color thanks to the climate. They also became attractive – especially for very poor peasants – to the point that people started to eat them. They had a very good idea! In fact raw or cooked, in sauce or fried in oil, in soups and soups, Southern Italians began to taste tomatoes a century before than all other Europeans.
Dogs can eat tomato because it has many healthy nutrients. It contains lycopene, vitamin C, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and fibres.
All known benefits of tomato
Tomato is an excellent source of lycopene. It is an antioxidant carotenoid that gives the red color to tomato and the other vegetables, such as watermelon and red fruits. It also acts as an anti-inflammatory and it protects eyes from age-related degeneration. Thank so to its strong antioxidant power, it is fundamental in fighting against cellular aging. Lycopene is mainly found in the peel and it is not "thermolabile", in the sense that heat does not alter its properties during cooking.
Other functions of the tomato for the dog
The only tomatoes used must necessarily be ripe and free from any part of the plant. In addition, tomatoes have a high concentration of protein compared to the solid parts of the vegetable (94% of the tomato is made up of water) and only 0.2g of fat for every 100g of product.
