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FOOD OF THE WEEK
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The Veggie/Fruit Found On Our Table at Almost Every Meal!
 
The last few weeks this veggie-fruit has gotten a lot of bad publicity. Not the fault of the veggie itself nor because it's a bad food. Also not something that stopped our family from eating them. We know how to choose those without blemish as well as spray with silver water and wash to prevent bacteria from being a problem. That said!
 
Are tomatoes fruits or vegetables?
 
If you're like most people, you think tomatoes are vegetables. If you talk to a botanist, he/she might insist that the tomato is a fruit because it contains seeds with sweet pulp. However, a horticulturist would argue that the tomato plant is a vegetable plant and not like fruits that are grown on trees (eg. apple, peach). Both arguments are valid, and in a way, the answer is that tomatoes are both a fruit and a vegetable. Whether Red, Yellow Or Green tomatoes are all great and healthy food!
 
My mother would tell me the story of when I was 18 months old; I ate a half can of lye that she was using to make soap, that ate the lining of my esophagus and left my upper passages looking like a web that spiders built, according to the doctor who read my esophogram a few years ago. Shortly after eating the lye and while my throat was still very raw my  mother said she would find me sitting in the garden among the tomatoes eating ripe tomatoes and crying from the pain, but she could not convince me that I should not eat them. That must have been the beginning of my stubborn streak or maybe I was just born that way! I refuse to let fear take over my life.
 
Tomatoes continue to be one of my favorite foods into this ripe old-age of 70! I now know that they are very good for me and you. Our family can hardly wait every year for my husband's garden to produce them! There isn't anything that can compare to a fresh home grown, organic tomato!
 
Tomatoes generally range in size from three-quarters of an inch in diameter and a quarter of an ounce in weight to six inches in diameter and two pounds. Tomatoes range in hues of white to red to purple, greenish yellow or orange. Generally, the lighter colored tomatoes have a milder taste. The red colored tomatoes get their red pigment due to the lycopene content. More on lycopene later on...
 
History of the tomato
 
Tomatoes were first thought to be poison and were not to be eaten but that idea lost it's wind and then became the food of necessity.
 
The tomato originated in the Andes Mountains in South America and was first domesticated in Mexico by the Aztec people. After the Spanish conquered Mexico in the early 1500s, they introduced it to southern Europe, where it quickly became popular. The Italians named it "poma amoris" meaning "apple of love". Similarly, the French also called it "pomme d'amour". This name gave rise to the legend that the tomato was an aphrodisiac. However, in colder climates, such as Canada, Great Britain and parts of the United States, it was called the "wolf peach". This unappealing name reflected its poor reputation and people's beliefs that tomatoes were poisonous. Therefore, for many years, the tomato plant was only grown for decorative purposes.
 
Tomatoes are the second most consumed vegetable in North America. The tomato is a treasure of nutrients, including Vitamin C, Vitamin A, potassium, folic acid and more. Processed tomatoes have higher levels of the nutrients simply because it is concentrated. North Americans customarily eat a large volume of tomatoes and tomato products that it ranks as No.1 among fruits and vegetables in the total amount of nutrients they contribute to the diet.
 
Interestingly, second to oranges, tomatoes contribute a high amount of Vitamin C in North American diets. Vitamin C has long been known to prevent scurvy - a condition that is characterized by bleeding gums and soreness in the joints. Vitamin C is also known to function as an antioxidant in the human body. Studies have shown that it may prevent certain degenerative diseases and common colds.
 
In addition, tomato consumption is listed as the fourth most important source of vitamin A. In the body, vitamin A is converted from sources beta-carotene and it is important for immune functions, maintenance of the skin and tissue lining and vision.
 
Potassium is an essential nutrient that is important for normal health maintenance and growth. It is required for movement of nutrients across the cells in the body. A deficiency of potassium would lead to muscle weakness, apathy, cramps and more. It is important for athletes to maintain levels of potassium which is lost through sweating during an event. Potassium levels can be easily maintained before or after the event by eating foods or drinking fluids high in potassium.
 
The most talked about food nutrient known, at this time in the tomato, is Lycopene and being studied for further health benefits. In addition to giving tomatoes their vibrant color, lycopene appears to protect against diseases such as cancer and heart disease.
 
Lycopene is an "antioxidant" - it helps to counteract the harmful effects of substances called "free radicals," which are thought to contribute to many chronic diseases and age-related processes in the body.
 
The researchers surveyed the eating habits of over 47,000 men between the ages of 40-75 for six years and found that the consumption of tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato juice and pizza was associated with a reduced risk for developing prostate cancer. Researchers theorize that lycopene, an antioxidant nutrient found in large amounts in tomatoes, may be responsible for this possible protective effect.
 
Since my husband grows an abundance of organic tomatoes every year I serve up hug plates of sliced fresh tomatoes with sliced cucumbers splashed with a bit of rice vinegar, salt and pepper and the family loves it. I make our ketchup, tomato sauce and canned fresh tomatoes to go with us through the winter.

Try a small patch, as tomatoes are easily grown in your flower bed! Tests have proven that organically grown foods have from 35% to 70% more nutrients than regular farm grown!
 
Tomato season is upon some areas, if you are lucky enough to live in one of those areas go out and get some great organically grown tomatoes for maximum health and nutrient content.
Lena

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 HEALTH TODAY
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