Lycopene and Tomatoes

Lycopene is an antioxidant in the carotenoid family. Antioxidants protect your body from damage caused by compounds known as free radicals.

Research shows that lycopene’s antioxidant properties can help keep free radical levels in balance, protecting your body against cancer, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, pesticides, monosodium glutamate and fungi.

Lycopene’s strong antioxidant action may prevent or slow down the progression of breast and prostate cancer by limiting tumor growth.

Lycopene may also help lower your risk of developing heart disease. That’s in part because it may reduce free-radical damage, total and “bad” cholesterol levels and increase “good” cholesterol.

Lycopene’s protective effects appear particularly beneficial to elderly, smokers and diabetics.

Natural pink and red foods generally contain lycopene.

The top food sources of lycopene are:

1. Sun-dried tomatoes

2. Tomato purée

3. Guava

4. Watermelon

5. Fresh tomatoes

6. Canned tomatoes

7. Papaya

8. Pink grapefruit

9. Cooked sweet red peppers

Tomato, unlike other fruits and vegetables, has higher nutritional qualities after cooking. In particular, cooking amplifies the bioavailability of  lycopene by 20 times, especially when it is seasoned with extra virgin olive oil.