RED, RIPE, AND HEALTHY
by: Norma Daulton

(To get some delicious tomato recipes, be sure to click on the Recipes link!)

LYCOPENE MAY REDUCE THE RISK OF PROSTATE AND CERVICAL CANCER.

Lycopene, the pigment that makes tomatoes red, is what's called a carotenoid-a plant-based antioxidant compound that may protect against cancer and heart disease. It is believed that lycopene is even more powerful than beta-carotene, the best-known carotenoid.

Scientists in Scotland recently found that the yellow juice around the seeds is a potent anti clotting agent, which may prove to be more effective than aspirin at reducing the risk of blood clots by keeping overactive platelets from clumping together along artery walls.

Watermelon, guava, apricots and pink grapefruit are all rich in lycopene, but not as high as tomatoes. Products like ketchup and tomato paste are the most concentrated sources.

In 1995 interest in the health benefits of lycopene exploded when the Harvard School of Public Health did a study that showed men who ate two to four servings of tomato products a week reduced the risk of prostate cancer. Other articles we have read recently present evidence that it may also help men who already have the disease. It is believed that cancer is less likely to spread in men who added lycopene to their diet.

Fresh vegetables are better for you than canned vegetables. But not in the case of tomatoes! There is evidence that canned and processed tomato products have four times the lycopene. Farmers who grow tomatoes for canning harvest them at a riper stage than those to be sold in super markets. I have always had allergic reactions to tomatoes but recently I discovered the ripper the tomato the less allergic reaction. Tomatoes picked while pale in color are not soaked in the healthy benefits of the soil and sun and may cause allergic reactions. If you grow your own tomatoes, leave them on the vine until they are ruby red and ripe.

8 oz. of tomato juice or 4 oz. of tomato sauce has approximately 20-25 mg. of lycopene. On the other hand a fresh tomato has only 5-10 mg. of lycopene. Most of us prefer fresh tomatoes, but if one desires to have more cancer fighting lycopene it might be best to use more cooked tomatoes, catsup and tomato sauce.

An August garden brings delights for the eye, the soul, and the body. Chief among these is the opportunity to indulge your desire for tomatoes. What bounty the Creator has given us, one of which is the beautiful and nutritious tomato!! Ones mouth begins to "water" at seeing tomato vines heavy with fruit begging to be picked, sliced, sauced, stuffed, juiced, or devoured on the spot? I pick my tomatoes with a saltshaker in my pocket. Few foods can match the sun-hot taste and texture of a voluptuous tomato eaten straight from the vine. It isn't just the heavenly flavor of the tomato that contributes so much to the joys of August, but deep in their red hearts and extending straight out of their shiny skins, tomatoes harbor some of the Creator's finest nutrients.

Tomatoes are rich in potassium, a mineral that the body loses through exercise and perspiration, and which is essential to protect us from heat exhaustion. Tomatoes can actually assist your body in handling the summer heat without drooping. No wonder the Creator made the tomato fruit for the hot summer season. The tomato has more potassium content (as much as 300 mg. in one medium-size tomato) than an orange. Tomatoes are low in calories, about 40 calories in a large tomato. Prepare some Romaine lettuce, onion, carrot, green pepper, 1 diced tomato, toss with virgin olive oil and a homemade salt mixture; serve with a slice of warm bread straight from the oven and you have a most nutritious lunch.

In addition to large amounts of potassium, tomatoes bring with them a nice bonus of Vitamin A, so essential for good eyesight and a glowing healthy skin. And that's not all...a large raw tomato will provide you with about one milligram of blood-building iron, along with plenty of Vitamin C to encourage its absorption.

Norma Daulton
Christian Women's Support Group
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HEALTHY TRUTHS WEBSITE: http://www.sarahstent.com/healthytruths

Do YOU have any great ways to cut the fat out of your diet that you would like to share with others? Just email me and I will post them in the "Healthier Eating" page for others to enjoy.