India throws tomatoes into every curry base and assumes the cooking destroys their nutrition. The clinical evidence says the exact opposite: a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found tomato paste has 2.5 times more bioavailable lycopene than raw tomatoes, cooking increases total antioxidant activity by up to 62%, and adding oil quadruples lycopene absorption. This investigation also addresses the kidney stone belief that causes millions of Indians to avoid tomato unnecessarily — a peer-reviewed study published in the Indian Journal of Urology found tomato juice may actually prevent the most common type of kidney stone through its citrate content, and explicitly described the widespread Indian belief as a misconception common even among general practitioners. The nightshade-arthritis claim is assessed against the full clinical record — that record contains zero large-scale placebo-controlled trials confirming it. Complete with full USDA nutrition data, 10 evidence-based benefits with long detailed explanations, 4 myth investigations with cited primary sources, 5 side effects with specific populations, 6 FAQs, and the definitive verdict on raw vs cooked vs tomato paste for Indian kitchens.