Tomatoes are a very overlooked everyday food. You might eat them on sandwich or in your salad, but there are many heart healthy benefits to eating tomatoes. Just one serving of ripe raw tomatoes is packed full of Vitamins A, C, K, B6, folate, potassium thiamin, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus and copper…Whew! That’s a lot of good stuff.
Tomatoes are also naturally low in saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol and high in fiber. This combination helps your body battle against high blood pressure, high cholesterol, strokes, and heart disease. Lycopene, which is also found in tomatoes, helps to increase bone mass, which is critical in staving off osteoporosis, and assists in reducing the risk of certain types of cancer, including prostate, cervical, mouth, pharynx, throat, esophagus, stomach, colon, rectal, prostate and ovarian cancer.
Now that you know why you should be eating tomatoes, the question about how to eat tomatoes remains! We found this great recipe for homemade marinara sauce. It’s very easy to make and much healthier for you than any type of sauce that you would buy at a supermarket, which on average has 14.5 grams of sugar.
Who knew that being healthy could also taste so good?
Giada DeLaurentis’ Marinara
Recipe courtesy of Food Network
Ingredients:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2 dried bay leaves
Directions:
In a large casserole pot, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste. (The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.)
