All Things Tomatoes (video below)

Your friendly neighborhood chiropractor is here to tell you all about the delicious food growing in abundance this year! 

Tomatoes! 

Juicy and plump, a thousand colors and sizes, and bursting with flavor and phytonutrients… what would we do without this fabulous nightshade? 

Red tomatoes are a great source of the antioxidant lycopene (some say the best in the western diet, it is what makes them red), which has many health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease and cancer.

But it is 2022, and tomatoes are not just red anymore. 

One reason why we love talking about and sharing the benefits of plants with our community is because plants and their phytochemicals have been used as mechanisms for healing and traditional medicine for thousands of years. One of these compounds belongs to a group of polyphenols that has attracted a lot of attention lately, for its ability to prevent and treat different diseases. 

Anthocyanins is one of these healing compounds. It is often what gives red, blue, and purple flowers and foods their color. 

“Anthocyanins provide many health benefits, from anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic to antimicrobial, neuroprotective and anti-obesity effects]. As a consequence, their consumption can be helpful in reducing the incidence of cardiovascular, metabolic and degenerative or chronic diseases and of certain types of cancer.”(2008, Science Daily).

Sign us up! 

If you were needing a reason to try some new colors of tomatoes you see at the market, like those deep purple or even black in some cases… science is on your side! They are full of anthocyanins. 

Yellow tomatoes, while often sweeter, don’t contain this compound and often are lower in lycopene, BUT are they higher in niacin, folate, sodium and phosphorus.

All tomatoes are a great source of vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K. 

Regardless of their color, tomatoes are a great food to add to your plate. Even processed tomato products like ketchup and tomato sauce or paste contain lycopene, often in higher amounts than their raw counterparts! (Just watch out for sugar and other undesirable ingredients). 

If tomatoes are growing in your garden, know that they will keep producing all the way to last frost! Try some of our favorite recipes below, or just throw them whole in a freezer bag to keep them fresh if you’re afraid they will go bad. You’ll be thankful you did during those winter months!