You call it Toma(e)toes, I call it Toma (a)toes

Tangy Tomatoes
An interesting thought to this is that you really can use Tomatoes in more ways than one. A fresh tomato out of hand, just as you would an apple, although with different properties! Low on calories and rich in taste and nutritious snack. It is believed that raw vegetables are better than cooked. And even better if you could have them both in raw as well as juice form! When it comes to salads there are a few traditionally great options, like cucumbers, onions, olives and even tomatoes. Without tomatoes, you’ll probably be at a loss of both color and taste.

Some veggies like red kidney beans contain natural toxicants which, but then again, if they are not cooked properly, they can lead to serious conditions like diarrhea and sickness! Boiling them for twenty minutes renders the toxins harmless and makes this nutritious food safe to eat. Butter beans or lima beans similarly contain cyanide that would be dangerous if eaten raw, but again is destroyed making them safe to eat when cooked. Potatoes on the other hand would be indigestible if eaten raw, while some such as like broccoli appear to lose some of their bitterness when cooked.

Tomato Choices
Cooking carrots or tomatoes helps to release substances called carotenoids and lycopenes, so the body can absorb them more easily. These 'anti-oxidants' have been shown to be good for our health. Diced tomatoes add color and taste. Fresh tomato Salsa is easy with diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers and cilantro, mixed together with cumin and fresh lime juice. A delightful and cholesterol free dip for family and friends with low sodium and few calories.

You can’t even imagine a pizza without tomatoes, or even some pasta, that necessarily demands the tomato! Add them to spaghetti sauce, canned soups, chili, stews or casseroles for a touch of homemade goodness and what you get are innumerable blessings… why, well, because you made the best spaghetti sauce ever! Marinate their fresh slices with red onion rings in an Italian salad dressing and serve as a refreshing alternative to tossed green salad or fruit salad.

Stuff whole tomato cups with a favorite meat or seafood salad for an attractive and delicious luncheon entree. Chopped tomatoes, added to any stir-fry combination during the last minute of cooking, lend color and flavor. Another interesting feature is that tomatoes can actually make one feel better when depressed. Its uric acid combined with salt, that is when you sprinkle some on a freshly cut tomato, makes you feel great instantly and peps up your mood!

If you are the first to jump on the bandwagon for new diets, then you can trust a tomato to help you see through the times that you thought you would binge… Just like fashion, diets come and go, and you hope to pick the one that lasts. What’s more, tomato juices can liven up your mood as most research has mentioned that people who are used to eating heavy meals and those trying to lose weight become rather irritable, but thanks to a tomato, you’re sure not to be a character that’s least liked by people around you. Be it soup, salad or even juice, the red color of the tomato entices one and all, and like its color peps you up in more ways than one!