Food of the week: Tomatoes

TOMATOES are this week’s super food. Known for their rich antioxidant properties, researchers say cooked tomatoes contain higher quantities of the antioxidant lycopene which can help reduce heart disease and the risk of cancer.

Researchers in Italy now also believe that 80 grammes a day of tomato sauce can improve some ill-effects of a high-fat meal. Twenty men are taking part in a trial in which half will have tomato sauce following a high-fat meal, while the others will have the meal without the sauce. The researchers believe that the ketchup can reduce the bad effect of the high-fat meal on the lining of blood vessels.