Spreading Love and Health to the Next Generation with Canned Tomatoes

Spreading Love and Health to the Next Generation with Canned Tomatoes

by | Sep 20, 2021 | Food and Nutrition

We all want to keep our families as healthy as possible, now more than ever. For those of you who choose to show love to your family through cooking, keep reading! Cooking our families healthy meals can be an amazing way to keep them healthy as you will be providing a nutritious meal while getting in that much needed family time. One of my favorite ways to keep my family healthy is to use canned tomatoes in my cooking. There are many rumors online that state that canned vegetables are not as healthy as fresh and are not a good option, but I am here to set the record straight! Not only are canned tomatoes delicious, but they are a sustainable option that is great to support heart health.

My family and I are Italian American, and canned tomatoes are a huge part of our diet and culture. At least once a week we prepare a delicious tomato sauce using canned tomato products like crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. The recipe that my family makes has been passed down since my great grandparents moved to America from Italy, and I will certainly pass it down to my children as well. Using canned tomatoes not only ensures that our meals are filled with nutrients but allows us to consume fresh tasting tomatoes year-round.

Choosing canned tomatoes over fresh have many benefits. When tomatoes are canned, they are heated during the process. This heating increases the amount of lycopene that can be absorbed by the body [1]. Lycopene is an antioxidant that is great for maintaining heart health. In fact, studies show that people who have higher concentrations of lycopene within their blood have a reduced risk of stroke, mortality, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) [2]. As an antioxidant, lycopene has the ability to reduce reactive oxygen species, which is vital for fighting off chronic disease within the body [3].

In addition to being absolutely delicious, easy to incorporate in recipes, and heart healthy, canned tomatoes are a sustainable option as well. When we make the effort to recycle, it only takes 5% of the energy it would take to make a new aluminum can [4]. Choosing canned tomatoes are a great way to show love to our planet as it will reduce your carbon footprint. Choosing canned tomatoes are also a great way to reduce food waste as they have a much longer shelf life than fresh tomatoes do. Reducing food waste is another great way that we can support the health of our planet.

The next time you are at the grocery store, make sure to pick up a couple cans of tomatoes! They are such a versatile ingredient that can be used in a variety of recipes. (My favorite is making a homemade marinara sauce!) The next time you’re in the kitchen, put the love in with heart healthy tomato products! Your family and the planet will thank you for choosing a heart healthy and sustainable option.

References:

  1. Pogored. (2020, October 29).Are fresh Vegetables healthier than frozen OR CANNED?Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/are-fresh-vegetables-healthier-than-frozen-or-canned/. 
  2. Cheng, H. M., Koutsidis, G., Lodge, J. K., Ashor, A. W., Siervo, M., & Lara, J. (2017). Lycopene and tomato and risk of cardiovascular diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological evidence.Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition,59(1), 141–158. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2017.1362630 
  3. Das, S., Otani, H., Maulik, N., & Das, D. K. (2005). Lycopene, tomatoes, and coronary heart disease.Free Radical Research,39(4), 449–455. https://doi.org/10.1080/10715760500053685 
  4. Bloch, / M. (2012, November 11).Canned food – environmental pros and cons. Green Living Tips. https://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/canned-food-and-the-environment.html.

Bio: Olivia Peduto is an RD2B from Staten Island, New York. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Food and Nutrition Science from CUNY Brooklyn College. This fall, she will be starting her dietetic internship at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. She is passionate about nutrition for women’s reproductive health as well as digestive health. In her free time, Olivia enjoys gardening, cooking, and roller skating with friends. Her goal is to become a Registered Dietitian and open her own private practice where she can work individually with women to improve their reproductive and overall  health through their diet.

The Effects of Tomato Juice on Hyperlipidemia

The Effects of Tomato Juice on Hyperlipidemia

by | Sep 15, 2021 | News

It is no secret that a diet high in saturated fats can lead to high cholesterol levels, hyperlipidemia, and even heart disease. But is drinking tomato juice worth a try for your health? Read on to learn about the effects of tomato juice on hyperlipidemia. 

Cardiovascular disease is one of the most prevalent diseases that affects Americans each year. One of the driving factors for this is a diet high in saturated fats and highly processed carbohydrates, which is why eating a diet rich in phytonutrients can help fight against disease.

One of the richest sources of phytonutrients are canned tomato products. Due to the heating that is done during processing, lycopene is much more bioavailable [1]. While some vegetables lose nutrients during processing, tomatoes become more nutrient rich.

With so many nutritional benefits and cancer-fighting properties, researchers are continually finding ways that canned tomatoes can fight heart disease. One recent study tested the effects of tomato juice on high levels of fats in the blood (hyperlipidemia) with hamsters. The study was conducted in this manner because hamsters process cholesterol and respond to a high fat diet in a similar way to humans [1]. With this study, these small rodents were fed a diet high in cholesterol to induce hyperlipidemia. After eating the high cholesterol diet, the hamsters had significantly high levels of total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and LDL/HDL ratio [1]. They were then fed tomato juice to examine if this had a reversed effect. After six weeks of consuming tomato juice, the hamsters had lowered levels of serum cholesterol and they excreted more fat in their feces. These results show that tomato juice supplementation may be a possible option for lowering blood lipid levels and reduce the effects of high blood lipids in humans [1].

If you are not a fan of drinking plain tomato juice, go ahead and get creative in the kitchen! You can blend it into your daily smoothie, add it to gazpacho, or throw it into a pot of meatballs that are simmering in sauce.

References:

  1. Lee, L.-C., Wei, L., Huang, W.-C., Hsu, Y.-J., Chen, Y.-M., & Huang, C.-C. (2015). Hypolipidemic effect of tomato juice in hamsters in high cholesterol diet-induced hyperlipidemia.Nutrients,7(12), 10525–10537. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu7125552