The Power of the Humble Tomato

For years, my friends and I waged a war of words over the 'fruit or veg?' issue surrounding the tomato, a war that has never been resolved. It matters not. I have always had a thing for this juicy, fleshy semi-sweet little number. Every summer while on the beach, our long-suffering Mum and aunts would transform a sliced loaf, a pat of yellow butter and a heap of the red fruits into a pile of sandwiches for us to tuck into. Since then, biting into a freshly-made tomato sandwich evokes those lazy, hazy childhood summers. And even back then, I was surprised at how energy-boosting those small snacks were. Two or three tomato sandwiches could fuel an excursion into the ice-cold Atlantic, participation in a ball game, a walk along the cliff tops, and a final swim before leaving the beach. As the years have gone by, I have watched as the proven health benefits of these shiny, scarlet (and yellow and purple) wonders are box-ticked, one by one. Like all fruits, tomatoes contain natural sugars, the source of all of our beach-time energy. Tomatoes are also rich in Vitamin C.
The Bioflavinoids
The typical colouring of the tomato indicates the presence of a group of compounds called the bioflavinoids, or flavones, flavonals and flavonoids. They work in conjunction with Vitamin C to repair and strengthen cell membranes and capillary walls. This process is essential for the production of collagen, the 'stuff' that skin is made of, and for the efficient healing of wounds. These benefits alone would make the tomato a powerhouse of nutrition, but these fruits have other powerful qualities.
A Taste for Paste
Not too long ago, I watched a television programme in which a number of people were required to eat a certain amount of tomato paste, every day. Tomato paste is processed from fresh tomatoes, and is used as pizza topping and to enhance the flavour and texture of other, tomato-based dishes. A 'control' group of people did not consume any of the tomato product. After twelve weeks, all of the subjects including the control group in the experiment were subjects to burst of ultraviolet light, the same wavelengths of light that are responsible for sunburn and the ageing of skin, in natural sunlight.
Skin Protection
The clinicians conducting the experiment then looked for certain chemical 'markers' in the skins of all of the subjects. These markers indicated the presence, or not, of changes in the skin due to ultraviolet exposure. The tomato-eaters of the group had up to 30% less of the marker than the skins of the control group. The experiment was repeated and the results came back...the same. At this point, I shouted and punched the air. Not only had I and my family gloried in our beach holidays; we had been protecting our skins from the sun. As the years went by, we became more sophisticated and discovered sun-factor creams. But I not sure that our natural, low-grade protection which also allows sunlight to trigger the production of Vitamin D, wasn't healthier than being covered in chemical-laden sun product? Scientists are still unsure why tomatoes offer this protection from sunlight, but one strong suspect is an anti-oxidant called lycopene. Anti-oxidants are chemicals that slow down the oxidization of lipids, or fats and oils, in the body. They do this by 'mopping up' unstable oxygen molecules and becoming oxidized themselves.
Naughty and Nice
Cooking actually helps to release lycopene from the 'cells' of the tomato plant. So, devouring pizza or trimming your fries with tomato ketchup is actually good for your skin - awesome! I am not the world's greatest cook but I cannot bow out of this feature without advising readers of a delicious and nutritious dish. Sift two cups of self-raising flour and a teaspoon of salt into a bowl. Rub in one ounce of soft margarine until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in a tablespoonful of basil (dried will suffice) one cup of drained, sundried tomatoes and half a cup of milk. Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Knead very lightly and roll it into a rectangle. Cut it into 2-inch squares. Arrange the squares on a floured baking sheet, and brush their tops with milk. Put them into an oven that has been preheated to 200 C/400 F/Gas 6, and bake for twelve to fifteen minutes. So there you go - so simple that even I can do it. And proof that everything nice doesn't have to be illegal, immoral or fattening!!