Is The Tomato A Fruit Or A Vegetable?

One cup of sliced tomatoes has the following nutrient content.  Pretty impressive.  So what's the fuss about whether or not the tomato is a fruit or a vegetable?  The botanist says it's a fruit.  It has seeds.  The chef says it's a vegetable. Webster's dictionary says it is definitely a fruit, and so, according to the law, the tomato is a fruit.

Benefits of tomatoes include a good dietary source of the antioxident lycopene, which has been linked to many health benefits including reduced risk of heart disease and cancer, reduced blood pressure and relief from gallstones.

Last week I was at a Brandeis study group called "Legal Puzzlers."  We discussed the following case, which took place about 100 years ago.  The government had imposed a special tax on fruit, so the tomato growers union tried to fight this.  They contended that a tomato was actually a vegetable and should not be charged the special "fruit tax."  Prosecutors went to Webster's dictionary for the definition of tomato, and categorizing it as a fruit became the legal definition.  The growers union lost the case, and the tomato growers suffered lower sales.  Fruit or vegetable, tomatoes are good for your health.  It's a superfood that we should all include in our daily diet.

Below is a list of nutrients contained in one cup of sliced tomatoes.

NutrientDRI/DV

 vitamin C33%

 biotin24%

 molybdenum20%

 vitamin K16%

 potassium12%

 copper12%

 manganese11%

 fiber9%

 vitamin A8%

 vitamin B68%

 vitamin B37%

 folate7%

 phosphorus6%

 vitamin B16%

 vitamin E6%

 magnesium5%

 chromium4%

 iron3%

 zinc3%

 choline3%

 pantothenic acid3%