Tomatoes
Tomato (lycopersicum esculentum ), a member of the deadly and dreaded nightshade family, was, hitherto, a forbidden fruit in the USA until September 26, 1820, when Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson, in a public display of courage in his hometown of Salem, shocked a crowd of spectators by consuming a basket-full of tomatoes out of the tomatoes he brought home from an overseas trip, and remained healthy, contrary to the expectation of the spectators that he was going to die in few minutes. That display encouraged the US people to begin to eat tomatoes. And today, tomatoes are the fourth most commonly consumed vegetable.
Interestingly, the advancements in science and technology has led to the discovery of several nutrients in tomatoes. Studies have shown that they are rich in carotenoids including lycopene and beta-carotene, retinol known as vitamin, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), which they contain in largest amounts, and tocopherol (vitamin E).
Contrary to the believe of some people that heat may destroy some nutrients in tomatoes during cooking or processing, and, hence, tomatoes are better taken raw, cooking tomatoes with little oil rather facilitates the release of the fat-soluble carotenoids. All the above-mentioned nutrients are powerful antioxidants that neutralize free radicals that would, otherwise, attack the neurons to cause their untimely destruction.
Moreover, vitamin, the major content of tomatoes is a mood-elevator, as it is implicated in the formation of dopamine, the feel-good neurotransmitter that helps keep depression away.
The carotenoids, lycopene and beta-carotene up-regulate the genes that code for brain growth and down-regulate the genes that code for inflammation.
You would love to mak tomatoes a part of your recipe always.
Festus C. Anaba, B Med. Sci. Physiology
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