THE TOMATO IS A SAVORY, typically red, edible fruit. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler climates. The tomato belongs to the nightshade family. The plants typically grow to 1–3 metres (3–10 ft) in height and have a weak, woody stem that often vines over other plants.
The tomato is native to South America. Aztec writings mention tomatoes were prepared with peppers, corn and salt. The word tomato comes from the Aztec tomatl, literally "the swelling fruit". Many historians believe that the Spanish explorer Cortés may have been the first to transfer the small yellow tomato to Europe after he captured the Aztec city of Tenochtítlan, now Mexico City, in 1521. The earliest discussion of the tomato in European literature appeared in an herbal written in 1544 by Pietro Andrea Mattioli, an Italian physician and botanist who named it pomo d’oro, or "golden apple". Aztecs and other peoples in the region used the fruit in their cooking; it was cultivated in southern Mexico and probably other areas by 500 BC.
What would Pizza, Pasta and Ketchup covered french fries be without the Tomato? After the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the Spanish distributed the tomato throughout their colonies in the Caribbean. They also took it to the Philippines, from where it spread to southeast Asia and then the entire Asian continent. The Spanish also brought the tomato to Europe. It grew easily in Mediterranean climates, and cultivation began in the 1540s. It was probably eaten shortly after it was introduced, and was certainly being used as food by the early 17th century in Spain. The earliest discovered cookbook with tomato recipes was published in Naples in 1692, though the author had apparently obtained these recipes from Spanish sources. However, in certain areas of Italy, such as Florence, the fruit was used solely as a tabletop decoration before it was incorporated into the local cuisine in the late 17th or early 18th century.
If someone slices a tomato in half, he will find that it has many chambers like that of a human heart. Tomatoes, being red, are also a great source of lycopene, a plant chemical that lowers the risk of heart disease.
For those at risk of atherosclerosis, tomatoes are a very good source of potassium, niacin, vitamin B6, and folate. Niacin has been used to lower high cholesterol levels. Diets rich in potassium have been shown to lower high blood pressure, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease. Vitamin B6 and folate are both needed by the body to convert a potentially dangerous chemical called homocysteine into other, benign molecules. The lycopene in tomatoes may also provide cardiovascular benefits. Research showing tomatoes' cardiovascular benefits continues to accumulate. A study led by Dr. Howard Sesso and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition further supports Dr. Sesso's earlier studies, reported in the Journal of Nutrition. This found women with the highest intake of lycopene-rich tomato-based foods had a significantly reduced risk of heart disease. A high dietary intake of tomato products reduced total and LDL cholesterol levels, while also increasing LDL's resistance to oxidation (damage by free radicals) in a study involving 21 healthy subjects published in the British Journal of Nutrition. British scientists at Unilever Research have inserted a gene from the petunia into tomatoes, boosting the production of flavonoids, a class of potent antioxidants that may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
These smart heart healthy chemicals naturally occur in tomato skins and other foods, says lead investigator Martine Verhoeyen and colleagues in the May issue of the journal Nature Biotechnology. The inserted petunia gene increased flavonoid production almost 78-fold in the peels of the tomatoes. This is a level on par with that seen in onions.
Cancer Protection
Lycopene has been shown to protect against prostate, breast, pancreatic and intestinal cancers, especially when consumed with fat-rich foods, such as avocado, olive oil or nuts. This is due to the carotenoids that are fat-soluble, for they are absorbed into the body along with fats. Tomatoes and broccoli are more successful against prostate cancer when working as a team together, shows a study published in Cancer Research. "When tomatoes and broccoli are eaten together, we see an additive effect. We think it's because different bioactive compounds in each food work on different anti-cancer pathways," said John Erdman, Professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois.
When male rats were implanted with prostate tumors, Erdman and doctoral candidate Kirstie Canene-Adams fed the animals one of 5 different diets. They then compared the cancer-preventive effects of the diets to treatment with finasteride, a drug commonly prescribed for men with enlarged prostates, or surgical castration. The diets contained one of the following: 10% tomato, 10% broccoli, 5% tomato plus 5% broccoli, 10% tomato plus 10% broccoli, or lycopene (23 or 224 nmol/g diet). After 22 weeks passed, the 10% tomato/broccoli combination was shown to greatly outperform all other diets, shrinking prostate tumors by 52%. Broccoli alone decreased tumor weight by 42%, and tomato alone by 34%.
Anti-Inflammatory
Italian researchers, publishing in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry report a daily glass of tomato juice (Lyc-o-Mato) can lower one of the markers of inflammation-TNF-alpha-by almost 35% in less than one month. Oxidative stress (the production of excessive amounts of free radicals within the cells) and the resulting inflammatory compounds such as TNF-alpha have been correlated to almost all chronic degenerative diseases. In one study, the placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover trial divided 26 young healthy volunteers into two groups. TNF-alpha levels decreased by 34% after 26 days' consumption of the tomato drink while no changes in TNF-alpha levels were seen after placebo.
The Purple Tomato
With anti-cancer chemicals and a bad CBS report that shows that they don't have any true knowledge and that they don't have a clue what anti-cancer chemicals are actually about. Juicing for cancer goes as far back as the thirties and the Juice Man Jay Kordich won his battle with cancer while in his twenties and he is now close to his ninties and is still juicing.
We want to disentangel the good and bad information so you may decern!
In the video below you will see what one more example of ms-information given to the public that causes confusion regarding anti-cancer chemicals. Now remember these stations reporting on cancer research on vegetables are not getting commercial money from the vegetable growers they are just reporting however the Pharmaceutical companies may be willing to pull their advertising if real powerful information is given to the public. This gentlemen reporting in the London grocery store is more enthusiastic about tomatoes and pizza than fighting cancer. I personally would never ever be eating pizza during cancer. Cancer remember is a food caused sickness. And a Food reversed illness.
There have been studies on mice for the chemicals that are referred to as toxic and millions of people are putting these toxic chemicals and dyeing without even questioning that they are actually poisons. And these chemicals were also given to mice.
These tomato growers are trying to insure that when it is clear that veggies reverse cancer (and juicing is the only way for reversing cancer as it did for me personally) that they the tomato growers want to be included in being able to offer anti-cancer properties in what they produce for the supermarkets.
Please read into this video the truth. And there are many other veggies like red cabbage, beets, grapes and a red sweet potato that may also be juiced and has many anti-cancer chemicals as well as onion and many other veggie on this site that are good for reversing cancer as it did for me. And he talks about pizza not fasting off foods and juicing a huge amount of veggie juice only which worked in 11 or 13 days for me. The man in the video is a fool and juicing not cooking is the main key. Raw Veggies is the only way. I believe scientists are pampering the food industries.
In her article "Do Anti-Cancer Superfoods Really Work?", Melanie Haiken writes:
Harvard researcher Edward Giovannucci reviewed 72 different studies published by the National Cancer Institute, and concluded that lycopene, the active chemical in tomatoes, lowered the risk of many different cancers, particularly prostate, breast lung and colon cancer. Subsequently, the FDA conducted a review of its own and disagreed, refusing food companies' request to label tomato products with an anti-cancer message.
However, many experts believe the FDA's process was flawed and that tomatoes will be vindicated by further studies. The good news: cooking tomatoes seems to enhance the effects of lycopene, qualifying tomato-based spaghetti sauce as a nutritional powerhouse. Bring on the pasta! (lifewhile.com/health/23053907/detail.html).
References
- "Genetically Engineered Tomato is "Heart-Smart"", http://preventdisease. com/news/articles/tomato_is_heart_smart.shtml
- AKOOBLALL, "5 Foods That Look Like Body Parts They're Good For", http://mydisfunkshion.onsugar.com/5-Foods-Look-Like-Body-Parts-re-Good-9639475'
- http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=44
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bright_red_tomato_and_cross_section02.jpg
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Small_tomatos.jpg
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tomato_Flower.jpg
