Ingredient Spotlight: Tomatoes

Tomatoes belong to the Solanaceae family and are widely cultivated and consumed throughout the world. This versatile vegetable is used in a wide range of culinary creations. We will be detailing the health benefits of tomatoes as follows:

Vital nutrients: Tomatoes are rich in Vitamin A, C, and E. They are a good source of potassium, folate, fiber, lycopene, and other polyphenols. The lycopene component in the tomatoes is a vital source of health benefits.

Heart disease, Chronic Inflammation, and Cancer protection: Tomatoes are rich in antioxidant metabolites such as Vitamin C, E, Carotenoids like lycopene, phenolic compounds, and phenolic acid. These agents help to protect the body against free radical injury by scavenging reactive oxygen species. Tomato consumption may help to decrease tumor growth in prostate cancer. Lycopene may also inhibit Breast, Pancreatic, Colorectal, and endometrial cancers. Tomato consumption may also help decrease lipid peroxidation, which is a process that aggravates atherosclerosis and Heart disease.

Lipid Management: Tomato consumption may help control cholesterol levels and increase the resistance of LDL to oxidation. Dietary carotenoids may have an inhibitory effect on a rate-limiting enzyme (Macrophage- HMGCoA Reductase) involved in Cholesterol synthesis, thereby helping decrease cholesterol levels.

With the above information you can begin to understand that the foods we consume can be very beneficial to our overall health. Again, I would like to stress that these are foods and not substitutes for medications prescribed by your healthcare provider. As always, I wish that you will keep your health as a priority and live long and strong!