12 Weeks of Healthy Food: The Tomato

It's Week 5 of our 12 Weeks of Healthy Food at Daisy Mae's Market at Findlay Market, and we're featuring the tomato. No matter whether you classify it as a fruit or a vegetable, the tomato is pretty darn good for you. Tomatoes are high in Vitamin A and Vitamin C, but those are only two of the nutritional benefits. Tomatoes are also good sources of Vitamin K, potassium, and iron. However, the real health value in the tomato seems to be its lycopene. Lycopene is a vital anti-oxidant that helps fight cancer cell formation, and tomatoes have the highest lycopene levels of all fruits and vegetables. Researchers have shown lycopene protects against colorectal, prostate, breast, endometrial, lung, and pancreatic cancers so tomatoes offer an inexpensive way to add this possible extra layer of protection. And here's even more good news---Cooking the tomatoes actually releases more lycopene, and cooking tomatoes in olive oil increases the absorption of lycopene into your body.
So what are you waiting for? Get to Findlay Market and get some free tomatoes with your $15 purchase this week (1/30/12-2/3/12). While you're there, pick up a few of the other ingredients for some Classic Minestrone soup. Not only will minestrone soup taste great on a winter day, but it will also be another way to add a dose of good health to your diet.