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:
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
Meet Liz Shaw, MS, RD! Liz is our Tomato Wellness Registered Dietitian for September 2021, and she is excited to share some of her favorite delicious recipes starring tomato products. Elizabeth (Liz) Shaw is a nationally known nutrition expert and owns a nutrition communications business in California. Liz has been a dietitian for 10 years, an adjunct professor for over 7 years and is a certified personal trainer. She is a four-time author, with recent titles including the Instant Pot Cookbook For Dummies and Air Fryer Cookbook For Dummies. Liz serves as an expert on local and national television and new publications where she breaks down the latest nutrition science into digestible bites! You’ll also see Liz frequently quoted in Prevention, Women’s Day, VeryWell, and others. What she loves most about her job is that she gets to connect with women all over the world to help them feel secure about how they are feeding themselves and their families. You’ll find Liz sharing regularly over on her popular Instagram feed @shawsimpleswaps. She believes all foods can fit in a balanced lifestyle and shares these tips via her website, Shaw’s Simple Swaps, and in her work as a national spokesperson for health and food organizations.
Liz says, “Canned tomatoes make a wonderful addition to your cantry staple! Not only can they come to the rescue as a simple swap to make a DIY pizza sauce on the fly, but they are also a wonderful way to add more produce to your taco fillings, chilis, and more!”
Need more recipe inspiration? Check out some of Liz’s favorite recipes featuring tomato products!
Feeling like the taste of fall but over the sweet treats? Then whip up this savory Instant Pot Pumpkin Chili! It’s ready in under 30 minutes and has just the right amount of spice to warm you from the inside out!
Looking for a comforting classic that hits all the right spots but doesn’t leave you feeling bloated?! Then this lightened up Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole is for you! Simple swapped with a can of heart-healthy cheddar cheese soup and veggies, this family favorite is one you’ll feel good about serving your entire crew!
Craving that comfort classic dish you grew up on in childhood? Then this easy Instant Pot Sloppy Joes recipe is for you! Made in under 15 minutes in your Instant Pot, you’ll be shocked at how much time you’ll have to do all the other things on your list! Plus, this recipe includes a special ingredient swap to boost the nutrition while lowering the traditional sugar found in your standard Joe!
If you’re looking to add a little variety to a traditional tomato soup, this is the recipe for you! Tomato Soup Pasta is naturally vegan and can easily be made gluten-free, whole 30 and protein packed!
Craving a lasagna but can’t handle dairy? I’ve got you covered. This dairy free lasagna recipe is filled with all the hearty staples you’ll find in traditional lasagnas without the dairy. This also doesn’t use a fake, vegan cheese. Pinky promise, you won’t miss it when you taste the delicious pesto in here!
Are you looking for a new recipe to switch things up? This California Walnut Firehouse Chili recipe is a definite winner. With only 30 minutes of cook time, this recipe may become your go-to weeknight dinner! This isn’t your average chili. The secret ingredient here is California Walnuts! The walnuts will give a great crunch on top as well as a boost of healthy fats. All you need to do is sauté your vegetables, season, add the canned tomatoes, walnuts, and beans and simmer! The dish can then be topped with hot sauce and fresh cilantro for an extra burst of flavor. The best thing about this dish is that you can add any other veggies that you like or are in season!
The base of the sauce for this chili dish is canned tomatoes. Adding tomatoes is a great way to not only add flavor to this dish, but to add tons of nutrition as well. Although fresh tomatoes could be used in this recipe, canned tomato sauce will cook more quickly and is more nutritious! Canned tomatoes are picked when they are perfectly ripe and then cooked before being canned. Cooking tomatoes makes them even more nutritious because it allows the lycopene to be absorbed better in the body.
The next time you are at the grocery store, pick up some canned tomatoes to use in your recipes! They are an affordable and sustainable option that is great for health. When shopping for canned tomatoes at the grocery store, be sure to choose cans that are free of any dents, cracks, or any kind of deformities.
Have you have ever tried Indian Cuisine? It is some of the most flavorful and delicious food ever! Although the large number of spices used in Indian food can seem overwhelming, it’s easier than ever to create restaurant worthy food from the comfort of your own kitchen. This Curried Veggie Rice Bowl is a great option for those are vegetarian or looking to cut down on their meat intake. It is full of plant-based protein from the peas, and it just so happens to be gluten free!
The spices that you will need include garam masala, curry powder, paprika, cumin, and chili powder. It is important to use hgih quality spices to ensure that your dish is as flavorful as possible. To make the sauce that will soak up all the delicious flavors of the spices, you will need tomato paste, onions, and peanut butter for a pop of flavor.
Using canned tomato paste for the recipe ensures two things: that the sauce is full of flavor and that it is nutrient dense! Aside from containing important nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, and potassium, canned tomatoes are rich in lycopene. Canned tomatoes are extremely rich in lycopene because the tomatoes are cooked prior to being canned. The lycopene in cooked tomatoes is much easier for our bodies to absorb, making them an extremely nutritious option! Lycopene is important to have in the diet to protect against heart disease and cancer.
Canned tomatoes and other tomato products are a sustainable option. However, new research shows that waste from producing tomato products can be repurposed using new green technology. Keep reading to learn more!
Here at Tomato Wellness, we are all about tomatoes, and for good reason! They are tasty, easy to incorporate in recipes, and have tons of health benefits. In addition to this, canned tomatoes are great for the environment, which means they are a sustainable option. When purchased canned, they can last longer on your shelf and will not go to waste! What makes canned tomatoes such a great addition to your diet is the lycopene content found within them. Lycopene is an extremely important antioxidant and can protect against disease such as cancer and heart disease.
Each year, the tomato processing industry creates between 600 thousand to 2 million tons of pomace [1]. Pomace is the pulpy residue that is left over after processing the tomatoes. Usually, this pomace is discarded, leaving an enormous amount of food waste behind. It has been concluded that tomato pomace can be used to extract lycopene. This greatly reduces waste, as pomace that would have been discarded is repurposed. In addition to this, researchers are trying out a new method of extracting lycopene that can be much more eco-friendly. Previously, the most common method of extracting lycopene was using hexane, an organic solvent that is a pollutant [1]. In search of a greener method, researchers have begun to use deep eutectic solvents (DES) [1]. These solvents are sustainable, affordable, and easy to produce. The results from the first attempt with this method show that the results were comparable with the hexane method of extraction and show much promise for a more sustainable future!
While canned tomato products were already a sustainable option to begin with, coming up with an additional use for one of their byproducts with green technology is simply groundbreaking! So, the next time you choose a tomato product at the grocery store, remember that you’re doing good for the health of both your body and our planet.
1.Silva, Y. P., Ferreira, T. A., Jiao, G., & Brooks, M. S. (2019). Sustainable approach for lycopene extraction from tomato processing by-product using hydrophobic eutectic solvents. Journal of Food Science and Technology, 56(3), 1649–1654. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-019-03618-8
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