Paint our recipes 'RED'

If we want to lower the risks or prevent heart & cancer diseases then we need to see where to go red.....
Researchers have been busy looking into this on our behalf, they've found that tomatoes are red because they are rich in an antioxidant carotenoid lycopene; a bit of a mouthful I know, its effect is to inactivate free radicals and protect cells from damage (Bhuvanesnari & Nagini 2005, Basu & Imehan 2007).
Because we've been bombarded by health manufacturers we might look for a supplement in this but interestingly (& saving euros) a synergistic effect is seen when lycopene is obtained from the whole tomato - what this means is that, the other components found in tomatoes enhance lycopene's effectiveness (Shi et al 2004).
Often nutrients are damaged or their effectiveness reduced in cooking but not so with this gem, when it is cooked and combined with oil it is more easily absorbed by the body, other foods with lycopene are watermelon, pink grapefruit and papaya (Gorden-Robinson, NDSU 2011).
People who suffer with Rheumatoid Arthritis are an exception and should avoid red fruit and vegetables especially tomatoes (Sen 1996).
I try to put tomatoes into as many recipes as possible even traditional ones that wouldn't normally have them but easily can.