During the winter, with snow piled up in many cities across the country, it’s hard not to daydream about summer. And there certainly is a lot to love about summertime: hot days, warm nights, the easy-breezy lifestyle, and, of course, the in-season produce. Perfectly ripe tomatoes personify the sweetness of summertime. But, thankfully, there is a way to get the taste of summertime year-round, even when temperatures are sub-zero. All you have to do is simply open a can of tomatoes from your pantry.

Preserving the flavor and nutrition of tomatoes through canning makes this red vegetable an economical way to enjoy them all year long. Tomatoes that are harvested and used for tomato products (which makes up 75% of the entire tomato crop!) such as salsa, ketchup, tomato paste, and tomato sauce, are grown to their full nutrient and flavor potential. They’re picked at the peak of ripeness to ensure that all those good-for-you antioxidants make their way into your recipes, even in the midst of winter.

But, there’s an added bonus by opting for the canned varieties of tomatoes. When tomatoes are heated during processing or canning, the antioxidant, lycopene becomes more bioavailable to our bodies, offering potentially more cancer protection and anti-inflammatory benefits. That’s why you could be doing your body so much good by opting for canned varieties even during the hot days of summer, or tomato season. On top of lycopene, tomatoes contain a variety of other beneficial nutrients that may be responsible for tomatoes’ health-preserving properties, including vitamins A and C, fiber, and potassium, as well as a variety of carotenoids, antioxidant compounds which give tomatoes their red, yellow, and orange colors.

Enjoying the tomato farm tour, summer 2016

Warm up with my Tortilla Soup recipe from Plant-Powered for Life, and catch my video with Jane Velez-Mitchell on how to make this yummy, plant-based soup.

2. Dig into a Lycopene Mother Lode. Tomato products are rich in the powerful antioxidant group, carotenoids, which have been shown to inactivate free radicals, protect against cancer, and slow development of atherosclerosis. The most plentiful carotenoid is lycopene, followed by phytoene, phytofluene, zeta-carotene, gamma-carotene, beta-carotene, eurosporene, and lutein. Tomato products are responsible for more than 80% of the lycopene in the U.S. diet, and research suggests that lycopene may be a big factor behind the health-protective effects of tomato products. Lycopene in processed tomatoes is much better absorbed than that of fresh tomatoes. In addition, the lycopene in tomatoes appears to have synergistic effects with other nutrients in foods.

3. Fight Inflammation. Tomato products may help cool down inflammation, which is becoming more widely understood as a root in many chronic diseases. Scientists discovered that in a group of 30 healthy adult women (ages 20-30), those that drank 280 milliliters of tomato juice for two months reduced waist circumference, serum cholesterol, and inflammatory adipokine levels, effects unrelated to body fat changes (Nutrition, 2015).

4. Protect Against Oxidative Stress. Eating foods rich in antioxidant vitamins and carotenoids, such as tomato products, is linked with reducing oxidative stress markers. In a randomized controlled clinical https://www.fertileheart.com/clomid-clomiphene-infertility-treatment/ trial of 64 overweight/obese women, those who drank 330 ml of tomato juice daily for 20 days reduced their oxidative stress, which may prevent obesity-related diseases and promote health (Clinical Nutrition, 2015).

5. Score Powerful Heart-health Benefits. Regular intake of tomato products has been consistently associated with lower rates of cardiovascular disease. So, it may not be surprising to hear that a recent study performed by Tufts researchers found individuals with the highest intakes of lycopene over an 11-year period had a 17% and 26% reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease, respectively (British Journal of Medicine, 2012).

6. Improve Cholesterol Levels. One of tomato products’ heart health benefits is improved lipid profiles, according to some studies. In a study including 35 female participants, those who consumed a raw, ripe tomato before lunch for four weeks experienced a significant decrease in cholesterol and triglyceride levels, as well as body weight and fat percentage (International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 2014).

7. Capitalize on Anti-Platelet Activity. Tomato products appear to have anti-platelet compounds that are concentrated in the yellow fluid around the seeds. These compounds inhibit platelet aggregation, further protecting against cardiovascular disease. Tomato extract significantly reduced platelet aggregation three hours after consumption in a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled crossover trial with 90 healthy subjects (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2006).

8. Control Blood Pressure. Low-sodium tomato products, which are becoming more widely available in supermarkets, have the perfect nutritional profile to fit into the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Diet. Research is confirming that tomato products may aid in treating hypertension. Consuming gazpacho, a cold soup made of mostly tomatoes, was inversely associated with both systolic and diastolic blood pressure and the prevalence of hypertension among nearly 4,000 individuals (selected from the PREDIMED study) at high cardiovascular risk (Nutrition, Metabolism, Cardiovascular Diseases, 2013).

9. Take on Prostate Cancer. Research supports that eating lycopene-rich food sources like tomato products may help reduce the risk of some forms of cancer, such as digestive tract and pancreatic cancers, but the bulk of the cancer-protective evidence is linked with prostate cancer. Ten or more servings of tomatoes per week cut prostate cancer risk by 18%, according to one study (Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers Prevention, 2014). A new review further supports tomato products and lycopene in reducing the risk of prostate cancer progression and death (World Journal of Urology, 2016).

10. Defend Against Sun Damage. Tomato products may offer natural protection from the sun’s damaging UV rays. In a randomized controlled study, 20 healthy women consumed 55 g of tomato paste (16 mg lycopene) in olive oil or olive oil alone for 12 weeks. After various degrees of sun exposure, UV radiation was significantly reduced in the tomato paste group, supporting lycopene’s protective role against acute and potentially longer-term effects of sun damage (British Journal of Dermatology, 2011).

11. Maximize Bone Health. Laboratory research has shown that lycopene intake from tomatoes may protect bone health by increasing the antioxidant capacity of bones and decreasing oxidative stress, which may reduce risk of osteoporosis. In a study of 60 postmenopausal women who hadn’t ingested lycopene for one month, they consumed either 30, 70, or 0 mg of lycopene twice a day for four months in either regular tomato juice, lycopene-rich tomato juice, tomato lycopene capsules, or placebo capsules. Those who had juice or lycopene capsules had significantly higher serum lycopene levels and significantly decreased oxidative stress markers compared with placebo (Osteoporosis International, 2011).

For more plant-based tomato recipes, check out:

Chipotle Tomato Rice
Classic Tomato Soup
Tomato Pesto Hummus