Most produce offers greater nutrition when raw. Tomatoes are an exception to that rule. Health studies continue to demonstrate the myriad benefits of lycopene, a phytochemical abundant in tomatoes. And you get more lycopene from a processed or cooked tomato than you do from a freshly picked one.
Ingredients
Preparation
HEALTH BENEFITS
Step 1
Lycopene, responsible for the fruit’s bright red and orange colors, is associated with lower risk of both macular degeneration and several types of cancers, including prostate, cervical, skin, breast, and lung. Lycopene may also help lower the risk of coronary artery disease and, along with tomatoes’ vitamin C content, stimulate the immune system. Cooked tomatoes contain two to eight times more lycopene than raw because the carotenoid is tightly bound within a tomato’s cell walls; heat breaks down those walls, releasing more lycopene for absorption and use by the body. Canned tomatoes, jarred salsa, spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, tomato soup, and even ketchup are all good sources of lycopene, as are sautéed fresh tomatoes. Tomatoes also provide iron, potassium, fiber, a host of B vitamins, and quercetin, a phytochemical that may help protect against cancer as well as heart and degenerative eye diseases.
HOW TO BUY
Step 2
Look for plump tomatoes with taut skin, dark color, and an earthy scent. Avoid tomatoes with bruises or decay. Heirloom tomatoes are more susceptible to cracking, but as long as the cracks are healed (meaning you can’t see the flesh), the blemishes shouldn’t affect taste.
HOW TO STORE
Step 3
Keep fresh tomatoes at room temperature—not in the refrigerator—for a day or two. Unripe tomatoes can be placed in a paper bag to accelerate ripening.
PREPARATION TIP
Step 4
Since lycopene is fat-soluble, make sure you eat raw or cooked tomatoes with some fat. Olive oil is a traditional choice; also try fresh mozzarella or another favorite cheese.
DID YOU KNOW?
Step 5
For most of culinary history, the tomato’s health benefits were lost on humans. That’s because the tomato is part of the nightshade family, some of whose members are deadly, so many people assumed it was poisonous also. (They were on to something: A tomato’s leaves and stems are toxic.) Only in the last 200 years have people believed tomatoes are safe to eat. Legend has it that Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson of Salem, New Jersey, shocked his hometown in 1820 by safely consuming a basketful of tomatoes in front of a crowd of spectators.
Recipes
Step 6
Frittata Ranchera with Black Beans p.85
Step 7
Black Bean Salsa with Baked Chips p.104
Step 8
Open-Faced Tomato Sandwiches with Herbs and Creamy Tofu Spread p.122
Step 9
Pita Sandwiches with Spinach-Chickpea Spread p.133
Step 10
Chilled Tomato-Dill Soup p.155
Step 11
Chili with Chicken and Beans p.164
Step 12
Sablefish in Tomato-Saffron Stew p.167
Step 13
Fattoush p. 177
Step 14
Cannellini Bean Niçoise Salad p.178
Step 15
Green Bean, Corn, and Tomato Salad p.181
Step 16
Quick Tomato Sauce p.252
Step 17
Lemon Chicken with Avocado-Corn Salsa p.264
Step 18
Turkey Cutlets with Tomatoes and Capers p.267
Step 19
Baked Plum Tomatoes with Herbed Rice Stuffing p.293
Step 20
Whole-Wheat Pasta Salad p.306
Step 21
Wheat Berries with Mixed Vegetables p.309
