tomato sauce

[Guest guest]

Very good article on tomatoes and tomato sauce.

http://www.townsendletter.com/Jan2006/tomato0106.htm

The Tomato is Better Cooked

The wonderful thing about the tomato is the many different culinary

ways it can be used. It is widely used in salads, sauces, soups, and

is the base of one of America's favorite condiments, ketchup. The

tomato is without a doubt one of America's favorite health foods.

Considering the amount of tomato lycopene consumed in the form of

ketchup and pizza sauce, it makes one wonder what our rate of heart

disease and cancer would be without this food.1,37 The amount of

beneficial nutrients in the tomato is significant with liberal

consumption of tomato-based products. It seems the best way to obtain

the benefits is through more concentrated and cooked forms of the

tomato. The Mediterranean diet includes high amounts of these foods.

For example, Italians are known for their love of tomato sauce. They

use it as a dip, on pastas, in salads and even as soup. Tomato sauce

may be the perfect way to obtain the beneficial lycopene and other

compounds from the tomato. Research shows lycopene to be most

abundant in tomato sauces and pastes.30 In addition, the slow cooking

process of tomato sauce further enhances the concentration and

absorption of the tomato's lycopene and other nutrients.14 Healthy

oils, such as olive oil added to traditional sauces also aid in the

absorption and utilization of the tomato lycopene and other

carotenoids.3,4 Rarely do we find a healthier, more economical means

of protecting health than with tomato sauce.