What gives red foods their power? Lycopene.
BEST OF THE BUNCH: Tomatoes
Your heart tomatoes. Study after study tells the story of how tomatoes and tomato products help protect you from cardiovascular disease. It seems they lower LDL “bad” cholesterol and may also help lower high blood pressure. But the good news doesn’t stop there. Lycopene, the phytochemical that gives tomatoes and other fruit (yes, tomato is a fruit) their pinkish-red hue, has strong cancer-fighting properties. Several scientific studies have found that people who eat lycopene-rich foods have a lower cancer risk.
OTHER TOP CROPS: Watermelon, pink grapefruit, guava
HOW TO EAT:Highly pulverized tomato products contain the most lycopene. Think tomato sauce, soup and juice. Like vitamins, some phytochemicals are water-soluble and others require fat to break them down. Lycopene is fat-soluble, so add a splash of olive oil to the mix. Preliminary evidence also suggests that tomatoes are much more potent cancer fighters when combined with broccoli.
