Looking for ways to make your healthy diet even healthier? Or perhaps you’re still looking for the first step towards healthier eating and weight loss. No matter where you are in the process, one thing is certain: a tomato a day may help keep the doctor away.
Tomatoes have been linked to a myriad of potential health benefits, including the prevention of several types of cancer. Eating tomatoes can also help you manage your weight, prevent age-related macular degeneration, lower your cholesterol and give you younger looking skin. How does one fruit do so much?
The secret to the tomato’s success is lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that helps rid the body of free radicals and improve the body’s ability to protect against UV rays. In order to get the most benefit, choose ripe, red tomatoes and eat the entire tomato. When you eat all parts of a tomato you’ll consume both lycopene and other bioflavonoids, which boost the effectiveness of lycopene. Surprisingly, you’ll get the most health benefits of a tomato if you cook it first. The heat helps to release the lycopene from the fruit’s cells.
Of course, as with any healthy food, tomatoes should be eaten as part of an overall healthy diet. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, avoid alcohol and tobacco, and get plenty of exercise.
