Food Focus: Tomatoes
Tomatoes are one of my favorite things about late summer. Farmers markets at this time of year are overflowing with dozens of colors, shapes and sizes of them, each with something unique to offer. While this years crop has seen much heartache due to the nasty tomato blight which has all but wiped out crops across the Northeast, they are still available and worth celebrating.
The tomato has to be one of the most versatile foods on the planet, showing up in almost every cuisine in the world, and in dishes as varied as hearty stews, soups, tarts and curries… and the list just goes on. Gazpacho would not be possible without them, nor would pasta sauce or pizza!
But as it turns out, whats good is also good for us. [read more] Tomatoes are loaded with vitamin C and beta carotene, and are great sources of both fiber and potassium. Low in calories, tomatoes are a perfect summertime food, best enjoyed fresh, ripe and in season.
Eating tomatoes and tomato based products have also been shown to be a powerful aid in the protection against cancers. Tomatoes are a primary source of the antioxidant lycopene, which is responsible for it’s bright red pigment. Diets high in lycopene have been shown to protect against cancers of the prostate gland, lungs, and stomach, as well as breast, pancreatic, cervical and other cancers.
While our culture has a habit of isolating nutrients and consuming them in extremely large quantities when we find they have healing properties, why would we bother to separate lycopene from tomatoes when tomatoes are so good?! Researchers believe that it’s not just lycopene resposible for the health protective qualities of the tomato, but lycopene in conjuction with the thousands of other elements that make up a tomato.
Eating diets that are rich in fresh fruits and vegetables can safeguard us against any number of ailments and I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather eat a great bowl of gazpacho than pop a lycopene pill!
Tags: food focus
