How Harmful Can Tomato Paste Be?

Author: Nia Rouseberg Time for reading: ~1 minutes Last Updated: August 08, 2022

Tomatoes and home-made puree are especially useful, but coupes contain different types of additives and preservatives that are not 100% safe.

Tomatoes are low in calories, rich in vitamins and antioxidants, which makes them ideal for daily consumption. They strengthen the immune system, heart function and are included in many diets for weight loss.

They can be used to make many types of useful and delicious sauces and purees at home. However, coupe purees contain some ingredients that have negative health effects, so it is advisable to avoid them.

Preservatives are the most widely used. Used to extend the shelf life of many foods, they inhibit the growth of microorganisms and prevent rapid spoilage of the product. Some preservatives can cause respiratory problems in people suffering from chronic heartburn , and in people suffering from asthma even an asthma attack.

Strong heartburn, which is most often the result of eating before bed, is usually retained by a valve between the esophagus and the stomach, but especially when lying down, it can release small amounts of stomach acid to the esophagus. Reaching the throat and upper respiratory tract, their acids or fumes can severely irritate their tissues and lead to protective inflammatory reactions - coughing, swelling of tissues, suffocation.

A sweetener in the form of high-fructose corn syrup is also often used . One of the most refined sugars, it is not enough to sweeten the puree enough, which is why aspartame is often added - a synthetic sugar substitute that is widely considered safe, but some scientific studies show hidden harms. A publication by neurologists in the respected Yale Journal of Biology & Medicine (2010; issue 83 (2): pp. 101–108), for example, shows that artificial sweeteners and especially aspartame contribute to weight gain, affect hunger, and increase appetite.

The last potentially dangerous ingredient is sodium nitrite, known as E250. It gives a fresh color to the puree, but also stabilizes its taste and prevents spoilage. It is considered a safe food supplement in the European Union. Some studies show that heat treatment of puree containing sodium nitrite leads to the formation of nitrosamines , which are considered carcinogens that cause cancer. Nitrosamines can also be formed from sodium nitrite in a highly acidic environment, such as the stomach .

It is recommended to consume only homemade tomato paste or coupe, which does not contain the listed harmful ingredients.

How Harmful Can Tomato Paste Be?

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