Sarah Ware, Registered Dietician and Andy De Santis, Registered Dietician

Duration: 1 minute, 1 second

Scientifically considered a fruit, tomatoes are much more similar to a vegetable both in terms of their nutrient profile and culinary usage.

Tomatoes are similar to many vegetables in the sense that they provide dietary fiber for almost no calories and share the unique capacity to provide beneficial antioxidant compounds.

What makes tomatoes truly unique is they are among the richest sources of the dietary antioxidant known as lycopene.

A 2008 study [ Journal of Nutrition ] found that when men with an enlarged prostate were provided ~15 mg of lycopene per day over a 6 month period, the amount found in 2 cups of watermelon or ½ cup tomato sauce, their prostate enlargement rate slowed and they experienced an improvement in prostate related symptoms like evening urination.

They are rich in a wide array of important nutrients including folate and Vitamins C & K. Tomatoes are also a great source of the mineral potassium which is generally under-consumed in the population.

Presenter: Andy De Santis, Registered Dietitian, Toronto, ON

Local Practitioners: Registered Dietitian