Tomatoes are a good source of Lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that protects your cells from damage. Lycopene is what gives the red color in fruits and vegetables. By choosing the darkest red colored tomatoes you’ll ensure that you’re getting the highest amounts of lycopene.
Shopping by size is just as important as color. Choose the smaller dark red varieties of tomatoes like Cherry, Currant, or Grape. They pack more lycopene per ounce, and are also sweeter.
Pick When Ripe
When tomatoes are picked when ripe they have the highest nutritional content. You can either grow your own or go to your local farmer’s market to get tomatoes that are picked ripe right off the vine.
Keep Out of the Refrigerator
Tomatoes shouldn’t be stored in the refrigerator since they lose flavor, aroma and nutrients pretty quickly. Store tomatoes at room temperature.
Cooking tomatoes increases the amount of lycopene in tomatoes and in just 30 minutes the amount can more than double.
Making a Homemade Tomato Sauce (Watch Video Above)
- Start with 8 vine ripe red tomatoes. Quarter them and seed them.
- Chop them keeping the skin intact.
- Use lots of chopped fresh basil to increase the amount of flavor and antioxidants.
- Combine the tomato and basil in a large saucepan and set aside.
- Dice up about 4-5 cloves of garlic, chop some onion and saute for 2-3 min.
- Combine the sauted onions and garlic to the tomato and basil, add some spices like oregano and marjorum, mix, cover and cook over low heat for 1 -2 hours.
- Enjoy over your favorite pasta or vegetables.
Tomatoes are a good choice to include in your meal plan: Choose the small dark red ones and for added nutritional benefit, cook them up.
Until next time, stay well.