Tomatoes are the main source of lycopene in most Americans' diet - watermelon is a distant second. Lycopene, a red pigment, is a strong antioxidant that blocks cellular damage. Because it is not destroyed by heat, lycopene is in every tomato product. Like beta carotene (in carrots), lycopene is in the chemical family called carotenoids.

Folk fact

Tomatoes once were hailed as aphrodisiacs or love apples. Until the 1800s, they were considered poisonous.

1 medium tomato has ...

24 calories

1 gram protein

0.3 gram fat

0 cholesterol

22mg vitamin C

254mg potassium

Eat tomatoes to...

Block cancers: Italian researchers discovered that among 5,500 people studied, those who ate the most raw tomatoes had only half the risk of digestive tract cancers of those who ate the fewest raw tomatoes. That includes cancers of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, colon and rectum. Tomatoes were even more effective against cancer in the study than were green vegetables.

Low levels of lycopene in the blood may foreshadow pancreatic cancer, Johns Hopkins researchers have suggested. They examined blood samples from 26,000 people; the people with the lowest levels of lycopene in their blood were five times more likely to develop pancreatic cancer than those with the highest levels.

Women with the highest lycopene had a fivefold lower risk of developing precancerous signs of cervical cancer than women with the lowest lycopene, report University of Illinois researchers. Harvard research suggests lycopene may help fend off prostate cancer. In another study, men with lung cancer who ate lots of tomatoes survived longer.

Get anti-aging protection: A study of 88 elderly women by University of Kentucky researcher David Snowdon found that those with the lowest blood lycopene were less able to perform self-care tasks such as walking, bathing and dressing. He suspects a lack of lycopene may permit cellular damage that fosters physical and mental decline. Note: Lycopene blood tests are available only in research settings.

FOR THE MOST BENEFIT

At the supermarket: Judge a tomato by aroma, not looks. Smell it. If it has an earthy fragrance, it has flavor. Choose plump tomatoes with unblemished skin. Avoid tomatoes with deep cracks in the skin.

When good fresh tomatoes are not available, buy canned (especially Italian plum tomatoes) and sun-dried tomatoes for sauces, salads, soups and stews. Look for reduced-salt products to save hundreds of milligrams of sodium.

In the Kitchen: Use fully ripe tomatoes quickly. Tomatoes ripen at room temperature, not in the refrigerator. To hasten ripening, put them in a paper bag with a banana or an apple; the fruit gives off ethylene gas, which speeds ripening. If you must refrigerate tomatoes, bring them back to room temperature before eating, to restore flavor. It makes sense to add tomato to sandwiches made with nitrite-cured meats, such as hot dogs, ham, bacon and cold cuts. Tomatoes' vitamin C, as well as chlorogenic acid and p-coumaric acid, may block the formation of carcinogens from the nitrite, according to Cornell University tests.

In a Restaurant: Order tomatoes in the form of pasta sauces and pizza sauces, casseroles and soups, or sliced on sandwiches. Tomato juice, which has a shot of lycopene, is a menu standard.

TO SKIN A TOMATO:

Drop it into boiling water for 15-30 seconds. Remove; let cool. Slip off the skin with a paring knife.

Get your lycopene here

In laboratory tests, lycopene is twice as powerful as beta carotene at snuffing out free radicals, which promote aging and many chronic diseases, such as cancer. Scientists found out about lycopene only in the past decade and don't yet know how much lycopene to eat for the maximum health benefit.

The USDA says each of these contains about 20mg of lycopene:

2 medium ripe tomatoes

1 cup canned tomatoes

2 Tbs. tomato paste

¹/2 cup tomato sauce

³/4 cup tomato soup

³/4 cup tomato juice

And 2 Tbs. ketchup has 5mg.

RED, RIPE RECIPES

Fresh Tomatoes With Fettuccine

5 medium-sized ripe tomatoes (1 ¹/2 pounds), diced

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, put through a press

³/4 cup shredded fresh basil

1 cup chopped parsley

¹/3 cup coarsely crumbled feta cheese

3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

2 tsps. balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pound fettuccine

¹/4 cup chopped black olives, preferably oil-cured (optional)

Combine all except fettuccine. Cook fettuccine al dente and add to tomatoes. Top with olives, if desired. Serve warm, cold or at room temperature. Serves 8.

Per serving: 311 calories, 10g protein, 49g carbohydrates, 3.2g fiber, 8.5g fat (2.4g saturated), 129mg sodium.

Herbed Grilled Tomatoes

2 medium tomatoes, halved crosswise

2 tsps. Dijon mustard

4 Tbs. bread crumbs

4 basil leaves, shredded

1 tsp. fresh thyme, oregano or rosemary (or ¹/4 tsp. dried)

2 tsps. grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tb. extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Brush half of oil over sides and bottoms of tomatoes. Brush tops with mustard. Combine cheese, bread crumbs, herbs; sprinkle on top of tomatoes. Drizzle on rest of oil to dampen bread-crumb topping. Add pepper. Put tomatoes on grill, cut side up; cover. Grill till skin shrinks from top of tomatoes and tomatoes are soft but not mushy - 10-20 minutes, depending on heat of grill. (Alternate methods: Bake in preheated 450-degree oven 15-20 minutes. Or broil 5-10 minutes.) Serves 4.

Per serving: 75 calories, 2g protein, 7.8g carbohydrates, 1.2g fiber, 4.4g fat (0.8g saturated), 112mg sodium.