THE NEW YORK TIMES – Tomatoes have come a long way since the 16th century, when some Europeans called them “poison apples” because they were mistakenly believed to be toxic.
Now, they’re the second-most consumed vegetable in the United States (behind only potatoes) and recognized for a range of health benefits.
Here’s what nutrition experts say about tomatoes, along with some simple summer recipes from New York Times Cooking.
They’re hydrating.
Tomatoes are 95 percent water. One cup of chopped raw tomatoes has nearly 6 ounces of water, making them even more hydrating than watermelon.
Fresh, raw tomatoes have the highest water content, said John Erdman, a professor emeritus of nutrition and food science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. When they’re cooked, they tend to lose a bit.
Their lycopene may help protect against cancer.
Tomatoes pack a hefty dose of the antioxidant lycopene, whether they’re raw, cooked or sun-dried. Tomatoes and tomato products (ketchup, spaghetti sauce, tomato juice) provide more than 80 percent of the lycopene in the U.S. diet, Dr. Erdman said.
Antioxidants like lycopene can help counteract oxidative stress in our bodies, he said. Over time, that stress can cause chronic inflammation, which in turn can increase the risk for many types of cancers.
Scientists haven’t definitively found that eating foods high in lycopene — or any antioxidant, for that matter — can directly stave off cancer, said Rachel Kopec, an associate professor of human nutrition at the Ohio State University.
But human and animal studies — some using tomatoes, some using other sources of lycopene, like supplements — have suggested links between high lycopene levels and lower risk of prostate and lung cancers, among others.
Some studies have also suggested that lycopene could help prevent heart disease, liver disease and other chronic health conditions.
But researchers haven’t proven cause and effect here, either, Dr. Kopec said …
