Eat Your Tomatoes

Over the past few years there have been plenty of headlines linking tomatoes with health issues, mainly the prevention of certain cancers, particularly of the prostate. Amazingly, before the early 1800s, tomatoes were actually feared because they were thought to cause disease.

The main reason tomatoes have now been linked with the prevention of prostate cancer is that they contain a powerful antioxidant called lycopene, which is found in abundance in tomatoes and tomato products. Studies have found that lycopene may help reduce the risk of some cancers and heart disease.

In a study of over 40,000 health professionals, Harvard investigators found that men who ate more than 10 servings of tomato-based foods daily -- such as cooked tomatoes and tomato sauce -- had up to a 45 percent lower risk of developing prostate cancer.

The benefits of lycopene were even more pronounced in men who already had prostate cancer.

In another study, researchers looked at blood levels of lycopene and found that the risk of developing prostate cancer, especially more aggressive forms, decreased with increasing blood lycopene levels.

One reason the Mediterranean diet is particularly healthy is because tomatoes and olive oil -- another healthy ingredient -- are often found together on the menu.

But the wonders of tomatoes aren't just down to their lycopene content.

They're naturally low in sodium but high in potassium, which means they can also help us stay in control of our blood pressure.

The Best Ways to Eat Tomatoes

Lycopene is better absorbed by the body when tomatoes are processed by being made into tomato puree, soup, sauce or ketchup, because it is bound to the tomato's cell structure and the processing releases it.

In a raw tomato you only glean about 3mg of lycopene per three ounces, although this figure can be higher in some varieties. The Santa cherry plum tomato, for example, can have some of the highest lycopene levels, and the amount is also affected by ripeness: the deeper red and riper the tomato, generally the more lycopene.

In tomato puree you get more than 10 times the amount of lycopene per three ounces you would in a raw tomato, and tomato ketchup holds up almost 16mg per three ounces, with tomato juice around the 10mg mark.

Of course there are also the delicious sun-dried tomatoes -- amazingly, it takes over 300,000 ounces of fresh tomatoes to make 20 ounces of sun-dried.

You can also increase what is known as the bioavailability of lycopene -- this means how easy it is for us to absorb and use -- by cooking the tomatoes in a small amount of fat or oil, because lycopene is fat-soluble. Consider roasting them with a good dash of virgin olive oil, or another healthy oil such as rapeseed or hemp.

Tasty Tomato Ideas

There is a huge variety of tomatoes in the shops, from the paler -- and I think nine times out of 10 tasteless -- variety, to the vine tomatoes, which, because they've been left on the stalk for longer, tend to have a deeper flavor.

There are also the tiny ones that are not on the vine, but are deep red in color, which tend to be a sign that they'll have a richer taste. At some of the farmers' markets you can now find small tomato varieties, also yellow and orange ones, but those don't tend to have as rich a flavor.

Here are some creative ways to get the most taste out of the tomatoes you've bought:

Let them settle to room temperature, by leaving them out of the fridge for a good half-hour, before you slice them.

Roast them. It's incredibly easy to do and only takes about 30 minutes. Just place them washed and whole if they're small, or cut them in half if they're larger, in a non-stick roasting pan, drizzle with a little oil, pop in a preheated oven and roast until caramelized.

Add to bread or pasta. Roasted tomatoes are delicious spread over toasted Italian bread such as ciabatta or focaccia, or made into a simple supper with pasta, fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese. If you have some frozen peas or broad beans, throw a few handfuls into the pasta for the final minute of cooking, then drain with the pasta and stir in the oily roasted tomatoes, the basil, the cheese and plenty of freshly-ground black pepper.

Think tomato and mozzarella combo. Throw some tomato and buffalo mozzarella on either a salad or sandwich bread -- the intense tomato flavors cut across the creaminess of the cheese, which is bliss.

For a different, but refreshing salad that's well worth trying, arrange room-temperature sliced deep red tomatoes on a plate with an equal number of slices of peeled orange and drizzle with lighttasting olive or other vegetable oil.

Make tomato butter, which is delicious on pasta, grilled lamb chops and fish such as cod or halibut -- and you can also add fresh herbs, like freshly chopped dill or parsley. Simply take 3 ounces of ripe, flavorsome tomatoes, dip them into boiling water for one minute and then remove the skins, before popping them into a blender with half an ounce of cold, unsalted butter. Whiz them up, then push the mixture through a fine sieve to remove the seeds and season with freshly ground black pepper. It will keep in the fridge, covered with cling-film, for two to three days.