1. Discover the Most Powerful Antioxidant
Lycopene, the substance that gives tomatoes, pink grapefruit and watermelon its red color, is the most powerful antioxidant around. In fact, lycopene is about twice as active as the more widely known beta-carotene and it is much more effective in fighting cancer. Scientists have studied cancer rates in people who eat a lot of tomatoes--which are high in lycopene--and have found that it helps prevent cancers of the stomach, esophagus, prostate, pancreas, colon, rectum, oral cavity, breast and cervix.
2. Stop Those Stealing Free Radicals
Lycopene and other antioxidants prevent cancer and other chronic conditions because they interrupt free radical damage in our bodies. All of our body's molecules have two electrons, but damaged free radicals lost an electron. In order to stay alive these free radicals steal an electron from another molecule. This sets up a chain reaction known as oxidation, where more electron-stealing free radicals form. Lycopene comes in and gives these free radicals the extra electron they need so they can stop stealing and causing diseases like cancer in the body.
3. Eat Lots of Tomatoes
Researchers studied the effects of lycopene in a group of patients in Northern Italy with stomach cancers over a period of 6 years. They felt that Northern Italy was a good place to conduct this study because there is a wide variety in tomato consumption. Some people eat large amounts of tomatoes and some eat none at all. The results of their study showed that a higher intake of tomato products protected against cancers of the digestive tract. Other studies have shown that eating one serving of raw tomatoes per week resulted in a 40 percent reduction in risk of esophageal cancer and a 50 percent reduction in cancer overall in elderly patients. A study conducted at Harvard University enrolled almost 50,000 men and showed that eating 10 or more servings of tomatoes per week resulted in a 34 percent reduction in prostate cancer.
4. Add Some Olive Oil
There are many ways to introduce this cancer-fighting substance into your diet. Processed tomato products like tomato paste or tomato juice actually contain larger amounts of lycopene than raw tomatoes. Lycopene is an oil-soluble nutrient, which is why it will sometimes stain plastic. Because it is oil-soluble, it is absorbed better if you eat it with oil. Drizzling a little olive oil on your tomatoes or adding it to spaghetti sauce will allow you to absorb up to 70 percent of the lycopene in the tomatoes.
5. Lots of Lycopene at a Bargain Price
Lycopene supplements will prevent cancer, but they can be expensive. It's better to boost your lycopene levels through diet. An ounce of tomato paste costs just pennies and contains 16 mg of lycopene. Even ketchup contains high levels of lycopene, although it contains lots of sugar too.
