Genesis 1:29
And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.
I love heirloom tomatoes! This is my favorite time of the year when they are first getting started. My Papaw Joe used to save his from seed and treat them like his own little babies. This is this first summer that he will not be here to give me my plants from his seeds, instruct me how to treat my plants like little babies, and then eat them and tell me how well I did. He passed away at the age of 98 in February. He would be so proud of me this year! My plants are doing the best ever..praying for your garden really make a difference, that, and some organic black hen poo that the guy at the garden center made me buy.
Tomatoes are a wonderful food that can provide you with many benefits. They are best known for their high lycopene content and their anti-oxidant powers. Tomatoes are actually a fruit and not a vegetable because it has seeds inside.
Anti-oxidant: Tomatoes contain a lot of vitamins A and C, mostly because of beta-carotene, and these vitamins act as an anti-oxidant, working to neutralize dangerous free radicals in the blood stream. These dangerous free radicals can cause cell damage. And keep in mind, the more red the tomato, the more beta-carotene it contains. Also, remember that cooking destroys much of vitamin C, so stick with raw tomatoes for these benefits.
Diabetes: Tomatoes also have plenty of the mineral chromium, which helps diabetics to keep their blood sugar level under control.
Vision: Because of all that vitamin A, tomatoes are also an excellent food to help improve your vision. This also means tomatoes can help your eyes be better about night blindness.
Heart troubles: Due to potassium and vitamin B, tomatoes help to lower blood pressure and to lower high cholesterol levels. This, in turn, could help prevent strokes, heart attack and other potentially life-threatening heart problems.
Skin care: Because of high amounts of lycopene, a substance found in many of the more expensive over-the-counter facial cleansers, tomatoes are great for skin care.
Hair: Remember all that vitamin A in tomatoes? Well, it’s good for keeping your hair strong and shiny, and its also good for your eyes, teeth, skin and bones.
Cancer: Various studies have shown that because of all that lycopene in tomatoes, the red fruit helps to lessen the chances of prostate cancer in men, and also reduces the chance of stomach cancer and colorectal cancer. Lycopene is considered somewhat of a natural miracle anti-oxidant that may help to stop the growth of cancer cells. And, interestingly enough, cooked tomatoes produce more lycopene than do raw tomatoes, so enjoy that tomato soup!
Bones: Tomatoes have a fair amount of vitamin K and calcium, both of which help to strengthen and possibly repair in minor ways bones and bone tissue.
Kidney stones and gallstones: Eating tomatoes without the seeds has been shown in some studies to lessen the risk of gallstones and kidney stones.
Tomato Ideas:
- Eat them raw in salads and on sandwiches.
- Saute' them with olive oil and garlic and blend them to make homemade sauces..like pizza and spaghetti sauce, or soup!
- Chop them up with cilantro and add some Mrs. Wages All Natural Salsa Mix for a wonderful salsa!
- Add them to top off a dish like pasta or pizza!
Awesome Tomato Basil Mozzarella Summer Salad
4 large diced heirloom tomatoes or 1 pint grape tomatoes halved
8 oz of fresh mozzarella chopped
2 Tbs chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs olive oil
sea salt and pepper to taste.
Mix it all together and enjoy! I like to cook by just mixing and no measuring..so these are close to what I do..depending on how large your tomatoes are you may need to add more vinegar and oil..just splash on and toss to coat!
Brandy Kisner
Health & Wellness Coordinator
