Savor that fruity vegetable

When is a vegetable not a vegetable? When it’s a tomato, of course. To scientists, a tomato is a fruit because it is grown and conceived within the ovary (or base) of the plant, and because it has its seeds on its insides. To chefs, however, tomatoes are used more like vegetables, in savory recipes. I mean, would you put a tomato in a fruit salad? What both scientists and chefs can agree on, in spite of this, are the health benefits of tomatoes, and the million ways they can be used, especially when they are in season.Tomatoes are low in sodium, saturated fat and cholesterol, and are a source of vitamins E, A and K, as well as thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, magnesium, phosphorus, fiber, potassium and the elusive but important manganese. Furthermore, tomato-heavy diets have been linked with a reduced risk in prostate cancer, especially when they are cooked (the heat releases their cancer-fighting nutrients). The only negative thing about tomatoes: A large portion of their calorie content originates from sugars, something common to most fruits. What balances out this negative is that tomatoes, unlike most foods, actually gain nutrients when they are eaten cooked rather than raw. In fact, tomatoes are shown to be significantly more beneficial when cooked with oil, making commonplace foods such as tomato sauce incredibly nutritious. Cooking tomatoes with oil also increases the body’s absorption of lycopene. Lycopene is a pigment (also known as red carotene) found in tomatoes and other red fruits, (such as red carrots, watermelon and papaya), and has been shown to help protect women against cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (CIN) and the growth of tumorous tissue in the cervix, according to recent research from the University of Illinois at Chicago.Color, we are learning, is always an indicator of a (natural) food’s ability to ward off cancers. And tomatoes, in addition to their vivid hue, are also an excellent source of vitamin C, which is one of the most powerful cancer-fighting antioxidants.If you don’t have an Italian grandmother to unlock the secrets of an old-fashioned tomato sauce, try just roasting your tomatoes in a 375-degree oven for about 20 minutes, until the tops darken. Add a bit of olive oil (one of the essential healthy fats that your body craves in small doses), and sprinkle with salt, pepper and a teeny bit of sugar. You can add basil, but feel free to experiment with other herbs as well; thyme can be especially nice.

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