Do you want to know if you should remove the seeds from tomatoes before you eat them?
Unless you have a specific reason, don’t remove them.
There are cases, which I will discuss below, when you should remove tomato seeds. But other than that, rather keep them in because they are packed with nutrients!
In this article I will discuss:
Why would you remove tomato seeds?
When you are struggling with digestion or kidney stones, don’t want your salads watery or where dish texture and consistency are important, remove the tomato seeds.
The main reason for the removal of tomato seeds from your dishes, is to get more consistency in the texture.
When you cook tomatoes, especially without the skin, the flesh of the tomato gets finer in texture as you cook, until you end up with a soup textured puree.
In cases where you need this runny texture, the seeds will be an issue, and in these case you’re better off removing them beforehand.
Although tomato seeds themselves present as harder pieces in a dish, they will actually add a watery effect to the dish.
This is most prominent in dishes like omelettes and casseroles.
Furthermore, tomato seeds will cause a sallad to be more watery and if left for more than a few hours, they will cause the lettuce in the salad to wilt.
There aren’t many cases where you want to avoid tomato seeds for health reasons.
Tomato seeds can worsen kidney stones due to their acidic pH (which is also the case for the flesh and skin of the tomato), which is also the reason that it can cause heartburn.
If you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), it is recommended to go easy on the seeds of tomatoes.
Why would you not want to remove tomato seeds?
Tomato seeds, like the rest of the tomato fruit, is healthy and packed with nutrients.
And they DON’T impart a bitter flavor on foods as some believe.
In fact, they give your meal a rich umami taste!
Are tomato seeds healthy?
Yes they are healthy, packed with nutritional goodness.
One reason that people don’t believe that tomato seeds are healthy, is because they believe that these seeds can’t be digested.
This is, in fact, untrue.
The hydrochloric acid in your stomach has a pH of between 1 and 2. That is acidic enough to dissolve razor blades!
This hydrochloric will dissolve the outer shell of the seeds and expose the nutrients inside. Yes you will get the odd seed that isn’t digested, especially if the transit time through your digestive system is short. And it also differs from person to person and the diet your on.
But other than that, in most cases, they will digest just fine.
Tomato seeds are great for immunity, healthy skin, heart health and weight management. They are rich in protein, fibre, antioxidants and phytochemicals.
Final thoughs
As you can see, there are valid reasons to remove tomato seeds (as well as skins) before cooking or eating them.
However, if you find no reason to remove them, rather leave them in.
They have a range of health benefits and are packed with nutrients.
Happy cooking!