3 Reasons to Eat Tomatoes

This fruit, which many still 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 color) with a lowered risk of heart disease and cancer (including prostate, breast, colorectal and lung), as well as being helpful in lowering high cholesterol.

To get the full health benefit of tomatoes, including their anti-cancer potential, remember that carotenoids are fat-soluble and are better absorbed when eaten lightly cooked and paired with fats such as extra-virgin olive oil.