Tuning in to tomatoes - the long list
of lycopene benefits!
As a powerful antioxidant, Lycopene benefits our bodies from digestive and prostate health through to a glowing, natural-looking skin.A member of the carotenoid family, it's found in tomatoes and peppers, especially tomatoes. Interestingly, it is more prevalent in tinned tomatoes and sauces, but if you're reaching for the ketchup bottle remember that Heinz among others are a little over-enthusiastic with salt and sugar! For me, rough juicing with a blender or even just chopping with garlic and olive olive oil does the trick.
Here's a recipe for a good healthy "lycopene benefits" breakfast!
And here's one for lycopene-rich roasted tomato sauce!
Because your body doesn’t make lycopene you should eat lycopene-rich foods like tomatoes as well as watermelon, pink grapefruit and red peppers. BENEFIT NUMBER 1 - Lycopene seems to protect against cancer of the digestive tract, colon, prostate and lungs. A study in Italy showed that people eating at least seven servings of raw tomatoes a week were 60 percent less likely to develop cancer of the stomach, colon or rectum compared with people who ate two or fewer servings a week. BENEFIT NUMBER 2 - Lycopene makes your skin look younger. BENEFIT NUMBER 3 - Lycopene keeps your heart healthy (a Harvard study found that women with the most lycopene in their blood reduced their risk of a heart attack by 34%). Bring on good old lycopene!
More on Lycopene and modern research.
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