Introduction

The traditional Mediterranean diet, rich in tomatoes, tomato products, and other carotenoids has been associated with a lower incidence of heart disease. Recent scientific studies have shown that people who eat tomatoes and tomato products regularly are less likely to suffer from heart attacks and other chronic diseases.

A Very Brief History of Tomatoes

Europeans were introduced to tomatoes in the 16th century, when the Conquistadors reached Mexico. Despite the tomato's initial acceptance by Southern Europeans, Northerners were hesitant to eat them because they belong to the same family as the poisonous deadly nightshade, a wild plant related to potatoes and eggplants. Thus the British proclaimed the tomato poisonous and stayed away from it. In the meantime, the Mediterranean countries, especially Italy and Spain, welcomed the new fruit, which quickly became a staple to their cuisine.

Tomato, Fruit or Vegetable?

If you're not sure when to eat tomatoes, the following may help. Botanically speaking, the tomato is a fruit, but from a culinary point of view, it is always grouped with vegetables. In the past, the tomato was classified as a fruit to avoid taxation, but in 1893 the US Supreme Court, using the popular definition that classifies vegetables by their use, settled the controversy by ruling that the tomato was a vegetable and should be taxed accordingly. Based on this popular definition, tomatoes are generally served with the entree and not as dessert.

Tomatoes and the Arteries

Tomatoes are crucial in the fight against heart disease because they contain lycopene. Many studies have identified lycopene as the substance responsible for the antioxidant effects of tomatoes. Recent research suggests that consumption of tomato products prevents the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, the "bad guy". Oxidized LDL cholesterol is considered the primary initial step leading to the formation of plaque in the arteries and consequently to heart attacks.

What is Lycopene?

Lycopene is the red pigment found in several fruits and vegetables such as guava, rosehips, watermelon, pink grapefruit, and red chilies, but it mainly comes from tomatoes and tomato products. Lycopene is easily absorbed and stored in the prostate, adrenal glands, and testes.

As a powerful antioxidant, lycopene prevents the oxidation of LDL cholesterol caused by free radicals. Free radicals are highly unstable and destructive molecules that subject our cells to oxidative stress, continuous damage that eventually kills the cells. When radicals kill or damage enough cells in an organism, the organism ages and eventually dies. In a study to investigate the effects of tomato lycopene on the oxidation of cholesterol, the participants were provided one-to-two servings per day of tomato juice, spaghetti sauce, and concentrated lycopene for one week. The study showed an important reduction of oxidized LDL cholesterol.¹

Lycopene can also reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood. In another study, 60 men were fed 60 milligrams of lycopene daily for 3 months - the equivalent found in 1 kilo (2.2 lbs) of tomatoes. At the end of the treatment period, the results showed a 14% reduction in LDL cholesterol in the blood.²

Absorption of Lycopene

Lycopene must travel via the blood and enter the body's cells before they can put it to some use. Research has shown that the level of lycopene found in our organs' tissues is a better indicator of disease prevention than the amount of lycopene we eat. Individuals who have a high concentration of lycopene in their tissues have a lower risk of heart attacks than those who have a low level.

How to Increase Absorption of Lycopene

Lycopene appears more readily in the blood if the meal includes a source of fat or if the tomatoes have been heated, as in the case of tomato sauce and tomato paste. A study published in 1998 showed that our cells absorb lycopene better from processed tomato products than from fresh tomatoes³ Heat changes the chemical structure of lycopene, making it more easily ingested by body cells.

So, to increase the level of lycopene in your body tissues you can do several things:

• Process the tomatoes with heat. An example would be tomato sauce, tomato paste, or tomato soup.
• Eat fresh tomatoes with fats such as olive oil.
• Eat products that contain lycopene with other food antioxidants. An example would be eating tomatoes with other vegetables such as in salads, or eating a piece of fruit for dessert. Use olive oil and lemon juice as dressing, and you will have the perfect combination of lycopene and antioxidants.
• Lycopene has been shown to be better absorbed from processed tomato products than from fresh tomatoes.

In a study done 3 years ago, subjects were given 96 grams of tomato puree daily for three months. The volunteers then avoided foods rich in tomatoes for the next three weeks. The results showed that including tomato puree in a regular diet significantly increased blood lycopene, beta-carotene, and lutein. Avoiding tomato products for three weeks decreased the level of all antioxidants as well as the total antioxidant capacity of the blood.⁴

Ways to Include More Tomatoes in Your Meals

• Make it a point to always have tomatoes at home. Bright red, ripe tomatoes have more lycopene than green or yellow.
• Always include tomatoes in your salads. Use olive oil and lemon or vinegar as dressing.
• Eat pasta with tomato sauce.
• Add some tomato slices to your sandwich.
• Rub half a tomato on the bread you eat with your meal. Always keep canned tomatoes - "no salt added" - on hand. They are very useful when you are in a hurry and need them for soups or sauces.
• Whenever possible, visit your local farmers' market and look for locally grown tomatoes.

Is Pizza a Good Combination of Tomato and Fat?

Pizza is not the ideal combination of fat and lycopene, as the fat in cheese is mainly the saturated kind - the wrong sort for our arteries. However, you can eat pizza in moderation. Just tell them to go easy on the cheese and hold the pepperoni and ham.

Tomatoes Are Not Just for Eating

Every year, at the peak of the tomato season, the medieval town of Buñol in Valencia, Spain, celebrates a fiesta centered on an enormous tomato fight. For two hours, from 11:00 A.M. until 1:00 P.M., the streets of this town turn into rivers of tomato juice as people happily pelt each other with ripe, red tomatoes. La Tomatina, as this festival is called, goes back to the 1940s when a group of people started a tomato fight. Nobody knows with certainty what triggered the fracas but it seems it started as an assault on city officials and extended to some unlucky pedestrians caught in the line of fire. It didn't take long for everyone to start having a great time and after this episode, in an effort to draw more tourism (and therefore more targets), the residents of Buñol incorporated La Tomatina as the town's national holiday. Now it has grown into a major fiesta where, for a week, the town is filled with parades, fireworks, food, street parties, and of course, tomatoes. The night before La Tomatina, more than 100 metric tons of overripe tomatoes arrive to Buñol, waiting impatiently for tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world to participate in this harmless battle.

I have always considered this festival an excellent way to get rid of stress; as we all know, stress can wreak havoc in our heart. If you're interested in going, the festival is held on the last Wednesday of August. Make sure you go dressed to wear tomato juice. Keep in mind you're only allowed to use tomatoes, and you must squish them before slugging them. Any other items are forbidden as they may harm people.

You may want to read an interesting interview Emilia Klapp gave with Enrico Forte on his blog: http://www.mediterraneanbook.com/2007/10/27/emilia-klapp-interview/ To buy a copy of Emilia's book "Your Heart Needs the Mediterranean Diet", or for more information on the book and a free report on the "Top 10 Mediterranean Curative Ingredients", go to: http://www.mediterraneanheart.com