3 Reasons You Should Be Eating Tomatoes This Summer

This fruit, which many consider to be a vegetable due to its lack of sweetness, is a seasonal staple. Chopped in salads, sliced with fresh buffalo mozzarella, pureed for gazpacho or eaten fresh off the vine, a ripe tomato in summertime is a delicious and healthful treat. Tomatoes are:

1. Low in calories.
2. Excellent sources of vitamin C, and provide vitamins A and K, potassium, manganese and fiber.
3. A source of lycopene – researchers have linked the lycopene (a carotenoid that gives tomatoes their red color) with a lowered risk of heart disease and cancers, including those of the prostate, breast, colon and lung, as well as being helpful in lowering high cholesterol. To get the tomatoes with the most lycopene content, choose smaller sized ones with the darkest red color.

To get the full health benefit of tomatoes, especially their lycopene-driven and anti-cancer potential, keep in mind that carotenoids are fat-soluble and are better absorbed into the body when eaten lightly cooked and paired with healthy, monounsaturated fats such as extra-virgin olive oil.

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