No More Tomatoes! Sez the Dr

[pepperhead212]

I've always said, half jokingly, that if a doctor told me that I couldn't eat chocolate, I would have to chew it up, and spit it out. Probably the same with tomatoes, and all those things I make with them.

I'd probably lose some weight, especially with the chocolate.

[Vanman]

Iron skillet in the oven? If so, what temperature? I will have to try them cooked like that.

[Ken4230]

Iron skillet in the oven? If so, what temperature? I will have to try them cooked like that.

Low, which on our stove is second lowest. Not in oven, stovetop. Oven would work, just never done it that way.
I do sear them pre-seasoned on both sides at high temp.
Fall-apart tender. When they are done, Cornstarch well mixed in a small amount of water and then mixed into the juices with temp increased to a good simmer makes a great gravy.

[rxkeith]

another food thats high in potassium is watermelon. in one of the pharmacy magazines
we get free, an article mentioned a case where a man was hospitalized for high K+ levels
on more than one occasion. eventually, one of the medical people asked him about his diet. the guy
said he liked to eat watermelon, apparently a lot of it. he was told to cut back on it. that was the cause.
molasses also has a fair amount of K+ in the event you eat that by the spoonful.
i like fresh tomatoes in season. i can eat a bunch, but not every day. same goes with some other foods too.
i also do not have a regular dr. haven't had one for 18 years.

in all seriousness, you want to have your electrolytes within normal range. too high or too low can be a serious
medical issue.


keith

[Gardadore]

Very much appreciate this thread. Never thought about potassium and tomatoes. Back in Dec I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. The doctor put me on medication and told me to avoid bananas, about which I was passionate on a daily basis. I was very upset over the bananas. Now tomatoes?! Couldn’t face being told not to eat them! At a later visit to the cardiologist’s assistant she said my potassium level was good so I could eat two or three bananas a week. Will cut back a little on the tomatoes, then, maybe one a day rather than 2 or 3? And do a tasting of multiple ones only once a week but keep the one a day! Not scheduled until next June for the next blood test so should be clear till then!

[JRinPA]

I don't think I would eat them year round. Too much other good stuff. But while they are in, and perfect like August in PA, I gorge daily if possible. Bacon is not necessary. Lettuce is rare. White bread toast, good mayo, maybe some bacon grease on the hot toast. Tomato, salt, pepper.

No way to know though, the most we get is maybe 5 weeks of primetime, so it is just speculation. I don't think I get "tired" of eating them...I think they just can't stay peak for too long. That dang 23 degrees that gives us seasons and makes life interesting.

[habitat-gardener]

My neighbors at the community garden are thinking about giving up the garden next year because of a self-diagnosed tomato allergy. The couple are long-time dedicated gardeners. He says the symptoms were rashes and inability to sleep, diagnosed by process of elimination. So he still eats a tomato slice on a veggie burger every day, but can't use all the tomatoes the garden can produce, and with age the two of them are having other health issues that are making it hard to garden. We do have a good farmers' market in town, and they will continue to be good customers there, but it'd be sad to see some of the only real gardeners bowing out.

[JRinPA]

My comm garden has lost a members to moving, travel, surgeries, and commitments. Allergies, that is a new one. Real shame, sorry to hear it.

[Seven Bends]

I've been getting nighttime leg cramps since tomato season started, presumably the potassium. Same thing happened last summer. I get the same thing when I eat bananas, which is weird since they tell people to eat bananas to cure leg cramps.

My mom and I both get intestinal issues from eating lots of tomatoes in the summer; will spare you the details! Generally eating them raw once or twice a day isn't as much of a problem, but moreso when they're concentrated into sauce or tomato soup, or stewed/roasted tomatoes, etc. Mom had a more serious bout last week, so this thread has been a bit of a wake-up call given that she is elderly with reduced kidney function. I hadn't realized potassium in tomatoes could be an issue. We had been assuming it was the acidity, or maybe the seeds & skin. Could be all those things, I guess.

[worth1]

I have a problem with leg twitching and magnesium helps.
Literally just as I'm about to fall asleep my legs will jerk and wake me up.
It's a friggin nightmare at times and it been going on for years.
Also a pin prick sensation occasionally.

[MissS]

I've been getting nighttime leg cramps since tomato season started, presumably the potassium. Same thing happened last summer. I get the same thing when I eat bananas, which is weird since they tell people to eat bananas to cure leg cramps.

My mom and I both get intestinal issues from eating lots of tomatoes in the summer; will spare you the details! Generally eating them raw once or twice a day isn't as much of a problem, but moreso when they're concentrated into sauce or tomato soup, or stewed/roasted tomatoes, etc. Mom had a more serious bout last week, so this thread has been a bit of a wake-up call given that she is elderly with reduced kidney function. I hadn't realized potassium in tomatoes could be an issue. We had been assuming it was the acidity, or maybe the seeds & skin. Could be all those things, I guess.

While I'm not a doctor, I have read that the symptoms for low potassium and above normal potassium are the same. If that is correct then it is understandable that tomatoes would cause you leg cramps if you have high potassium levels normally.