Tomatoes Provide a Great Boost to Health

Aside from improving the flavors of food, tomatoes provide a great boost to your health.

TEXARKANA, Ark. –

At roadside stands, farmers markets, and gardens you see bright red vegetables that
make you long for a slice. But are tomatoes a vegetable or a fruit? Depends on how
you look at it; by method of cultivation and use it is a vegetable; however, botanically
it is a fruit. Specifically, it is a berry because it is pulpy and contains one or
more seeds that are not stones. So now if you are on the game show, Jeopardy, you
can answer that question and win the big money.

Tomatoes form an integral part of cuisine all across the globe. What would our meals
be like without them? Think spaghetti without tomatoes, a BLT sandwich would just
be a BL sandwich, salsa would be just onions and peppers. I’m not sure I want to live
without tomatoes. They make all those dishes tasty.

Aside from improving the flavor of food, tomatoes provide a great boost to health.
Tomatoes consist of a large number of antioxidants which fight different forms of
cancer. The rich source of vitamins and minerals provide a protective effect against
cardiovascular diseases. It also improves eye health and prevents hypertension and
urinary tract infections.

Tomatoes contain lycopene, an antioxidant highly effective in scavenging cancer-causing
free radicals. This benefit extends even to the heat-processed products, which include
ketchup.

The lycopene in tomato prevents serum lipid oxidation, thus exerting protective effect
against cardiovascular diseases. Regular consumption of tomato has shown to decrease
levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood. These lipids are the key
culprits in cardiovascular diseases and lead to the deposit of fats in the blood vessels.

One single tomato can provide about 40 percent of the daily vitamin C requirement
and a medium size has only 24 calories. They are high in potassium and other antioxidants
and low in sodium, fat and calories.

Store tomatoes that are mature or partially ripe at a cool room temperature in a light-but
not-sunny-area. They should not be refrigerated until they are mature. When they reach
your favorite stage of ripeness, refrigerate them for no longer than 5 days. After
that time, they begin to lose both texture and flavor.

There are more than 4,000 varieties of tomatoes to choose from, ranging from the small,
marble-size cherry tomato to the giant Ponderosa that can weigh three pounds. The
difference in the varieties determines their use.

Cherry, globe, and grape are wonderful in salads or eaten just out of hand. While
the larger, Better Boy and Beef Steak tomatoes are most often used for sandwiches.
If you are making salsa, plum and pear shaped varieties, such as Roma are the best
choice due to their meatiness.

Contact us at the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, Miller County Extension
office in the courthouse, e-mail me at chadley@uaex.edu or call 870-779-3609. You can also get great tips on facebook at UAEXMillerCountyFCS/CarlaHaleyHadley,
twitter at @MillerCountyFCS and Instagram millercountyfcs_carlahadley.

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