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Just a quick note to wish you all a pleasant and safe Halloween!

Tomatoes are rich in vitamins and low in calories. One medium ripe tomato 80g contains about 14mg of vitamin C, and about 19mcg of foliate, is a good source of vitamins C and E as well as beta-carotene and potassium. Additionally tomatos contain a substance called Lycopene which is an antioxidant and is especially concentrated in the tomato skin.

Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant, and a recent Harvard University study found that men, who frequently ate tomato-based foods, suffered less prostate cancer. Lycopene also helps protect against other cancers and heart disease. Lycopene is most concentrated in processed tomatoes especially tomato sauce, tomato paste, tomato relish and tomato juice.

Red tomatoes contain more Lycopene, (perhaps up to 50% more), than paler tomatoes. Therefore allowing a tomato to ripen as much as possible before eating is a sensible move. Incidentally one of the best tasting tomatoes is a variety called ‘Ailsa Craig’; however it does not actually look as well as some of the red tomatoes you would see in a supermarket, as Ailsa Craig tomatoes appear blotchy with freckles of green around the top near the vine stem.

Tomatoes are an important addition to a cancer prevention diet where the idea is to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, especially tomatoes that are rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants help prevent cancer causing cell damage that occurs when the body naturally uses oxygen.

However there are some drawbacks to tomatoes. Tomatoes belong to the nightshade family, and all members of the nightshade family contain toxic substances called Solanines. The small amounts of solanines in tomatoes can trigger headaches. Additionally there is an unknown substance in tomatoes which can cause heart burn and indigestion, so people who suffer from digestive upsets may be advised to avoid tomatoes.

Vitamins are essential to the body’s nutritional system performing properly. A balanced diet should in practice provide all the body’s vitamin needs, however few people eat a balanced diet. Just like a car which needs fuel and oil to run, your body needs vitamins in a certain recommended dosage on a daily basis to efficiently digest food.

For optimum health and is therefore advisable to add to your daily food intake some form of vitamin supplement. Interestingly, the body is unable to distinguish between natural vitamins, and chemically manufactured ones. Personally you are what you eat, and given the choice I prefer the naturally made vitamins from quality plant extracts.

The first link between vitamins and disease was made in 1747 by a British naval doctor James Lind. He discovered that eating fruit prevented scurvy. The term vitamin is credited to a Polish chemist by the name of Casimir Funk, who in 1912 coined the phrase ‘vital amines’. Amines are nitrogen compounds, and Funk mistakenly thought that all of the chemicals were nitrogen compounds. When he was proven incorrect, his term ‘vital amines’ was shortened to vitamins.

To date 13 vitamins that are necessary to a healthy functioning body have been identified. Additionally other substances which are similar to vitamins continue to be discovered such as bioflavoinoids, which are also beneficial to your health, and this is why dieticians recommend eating a variety of foods for a proper nutritional balance.

Did you know?

Hippocrates around approximately 400 BC discovered that eating liver cured night blindness.

There are many vitamins all described by letters of the alphabet and which are classified by how they are stored in the body. There are fat soluble vitamins which are stored in the liver and fatty tissue, and are water soluble vitamins which unfortunately the body can only store in small amounts, so these vitamins must be replenished daily.

The fat soluble vitamins are vitamins A, D, E, and K, whereas the water soluble vitamins are vitamin C, and the B group of Vitamins.

So what do these vitamins actually do?

Vitamin A. is needed for growth, cell development, to prevent night blindness, to maintain healthy skin and hair and nails, maintaining glands bones teeth and gums, and also may aid in the prevention of lung cancer.

The vitamins B. group all basically help with metabolism and digestion. They help make red blood cells, synthesise certain amino acids, make DNA and RNA, help normalise blood sugar levels, promote nerve function, and help maintain the blood circulatory system.

Vitamin C. strengthens blood vessel walls, promotes Iron absorption, helps prevent loose teeth, bleeding gums, bruises, scurvy, and internal haemorrhaging.

Vitamin D. is necessary for maintaining strong bones and teeth and calcium absorption.

Vitamin E. helps maintain muscles, red blood cells, and is an important antioxidant.

Vitamin K. is essential for proper blood clotting, although an access of this vitamin will interfere with blood clotting drugs.

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