Aloha everyone!  Yes, many of us love tomatoes… but do we all know exactly why they can be good for us?  Tomatoes are oh so tasty, but better yet, they contain very powerful healing agents that are Scientifically proven!  Today I am sharing why Organic Tomatoes are such a big party of our family’s diet.

Organic Tomato Health Facts:

FOR MEN: 

Medical research revealed that Lycopene is the only nutrient that turned out to have SIGNIFICANT preventative value against Prostate Cancer. Due to the high lycopene content in tomatoes, eating Organic Tomatoes in any of it’s various forms more than 2 times a week, can help reduce the risk of Prostate Cancer by 21-43%.

Cooking Organic Tomatoes in oil encourages intestinal absorption and results in a two-to-threefold rise in plasma lycopene concentrations. We cook our tomatoes in Coconut Oil because of it’s other healing properties.

FOR WOMEN:

Lycopene helps women guard against cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia, (CIN), tumorous tissue growth in the cervix.
Lycopene is a powerful inhibitor of the growth of breast, endometrium (inner lining of the uterus) and lung cancer cells.

FOR MEN, WOMEN, CHILDREN:

Organic Tomatoes are good for the eyes.

Lycopene, the most abundant carotenoid in the blood serum, was found to be the key antioxidant that guards against ARMD ( Age-Related Macular Degeneration), a condition that may cause blindness.

Tomatoes are high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium and Potassium.

Lycopene is an inhibitor to heart disease.

Organic Tomatoes are perfectly safe and healthy to eat, Tomato leaves are actually toxic.

NaturalNews.Com reported that foods rich in cooked tomatoes may boost your body’s ability to ward off skin damage from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays and stave off the effects of aging, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Universities of Manchester and Newcastle, England, and presented to the British Society for Investigative Dermatology.

After three months of eating Organic Tomato Paste, researchers analyzed skin samples from 20 participants and found that volunteers who had eaten the tomatoes exhibited 33 percent more protection against sunburn than those who had taken olive oil alone. They also had higher levels of procollagen, a protein that plays a crucial role in preserving skin structure.

The scientists believe that lycopene neutralizes free radicals that are formed when UV radiation strikes the skin. These free radicals have been linked to cancer and the effects of aging.

The best part of all these studies were the results that demonstrated it did not matter in what form we ate the Tomato, it only mattered that we ate Organic Tomato.  The health benefits included, Organic Tomatoes, Organic Tomato Sauce, Organic Tamato Paste and Organic Ketchup.  So here I’m including a quick recipe that includes tomatoes.  This is one of the recipes that proves Fast Food doesn’t have to be junk food to be Yummy Yummy Baby!

COCONUT VEGGIE WRAP

Coconut Veggie Wrap

Recipe:

Coconut Paleo Sheet, Fresh Tomato Chunks, Fresh Zucchini Shavings, Fresh Coconut Slices, Fresh Carrot Shavings, Fresh Cilantro, Fresh Mixed Greens.

Sauce:  Vegenaise, Apple Cider Vinegar, Mustard, Honey, Salt, Pepper (all measurements to your taste)

Fun Fact:

Tomato is a fruit. The confusion arose after the 1890s when the US supreme court named Tomato a Vegetable for taxation purposes. A fruit is the edible part of the plant containing seeds, a vegetable is stem, leaf or root.

Sending you Love & Light, Dr. Dee  😉

References:

Giovannucci, Edward et al., “Intake of Carotenoids and Retinol in Relation to Risk of prostate Cancer,” Journal of the National Cancer Miracle Nutrient That Can Prevent Aging, Heart Diseaseand Cancer,” Advanced Research Press, Inc. 1999. Hauppauge, N.Y.

Tomato Research Council, Article, “Lycopene in the American Diet,” Undated

Hanley, Daniel Q., “Tomatoes, Oranges, Pasta and Soybeans Studied as Cancer fighters,” AP, April 14, 1997

Kumpulainen, Jorma T. et al, “Natural Antioxidants and Food Quality in Atherosclerosis and Cancer Prevention,” Royal Society of Chemistry Information Services and Scheer, James F., “Tomato Power! Lycopene: The Miracle Nutrient That Can Prevent Aging, Heart Disease and Cancer,” Advanced Research Press, Inc. 1999. Hauppauge, N.Y.

Meres-Perlman, Julie A., Ph.D., “Serum Antioxidants and Age-Related Macular Degeneration in a Population-Based Case-Control Study,” Archives Ophthalmology, December, 1995, Vol. 113:1518-1523.

Aviram, Michael, Ph.D., “Lycopene and Antherosclerosis,” A publication of Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and Scheer, James F., “Tomato Power! Lycopene: The Miracle Nutrient That Can Prevent Aging, Heart Disease and Cancer,” Advanced Research Press, Inc. 1999. Hauppauge, N.Y.

Journal reference: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (DOI: 10.1021/jf0401540)