August’s food of the month is the tomato!
Tomatoes are a very versatile food. You can eat them raw, in salad, in salsa, on pasta, in raita (Indian yogurt), even roasted with some rice or meat. Many different cuisines include tomatoes in their diet, and knowing their positive health benefits helps explain why! Tomatoes are very high in Vitamin C, which has shown to have several positive effects on your mind and mood. For one, when we are stressed our adrenal glands secrete a large amount of cortisol (the stress hormone). When we feel stress constantly, our adrenal glands become weak and overworked and Vitamin C has been shown to repair the damage to adrenal glands from chronic stress.
Vitamin C is also used to help create norepinephrine (a neurotransmitter created by the adrenal glands). A healthy level of norepinephrine helps us feel alert and energetic and improves our concentration. A deficiency in norepinephrine is often exhibited by feelings of fatigue, low mood and less efficient cognitive functioning such as thinking, concentration and memory.
To ensure you have a healthy amount of this essential neurotransmitter, among other things, it is important to have a diet rich in Vitamin C by including tomatoes regularly in your diet.
Iron, another mineral that is found in large quantities in tomatoes, is also closely related to our mood. A deficiency in iron can cause symptoms of depression such as weakness, exhaustion, loss of appetite, headaches, etc.
Tomatoes have high levels of potassium, too. A lack of potassium in our diet is also linked to depressive symptoms such as tearfulness, weakness and fatigue.
In addition, tomatoes are high in an antioxidant called lycopene, the ingredient that makes tomatoes red. Many research studies have shown that this antioxidant is protective against several different kinds of cancer: prostate, lung, breast, endometrial, pancreatic and colon cancer.
Research has shown higher levels of lycopene in the blood after eating cooked tomatoes, such as in ketchup, tomato paste or tomato sauce than eating a raw tomato. This is probably because we can absorb the lycopene better when the tomatoes are cooked.
Finally, most of the tomatoes we eat in the US have been genetically engineered to have a good source of folate, a B-vitamin that has been linked to depression. In fact, a study conducted at Harvard showed that 38% of women who are depressed are deficient in folate.
Tomatoes are a very healthy food to add to your diet and can help with some temporary relief or recovery from emotional and mental health symptoms such as depression and stress. Tomatoes are also in season at this time so I hope you enjoy the upcoming tomato recipes!
Homemade Ketchup (see recipe)
Caprese with Heirloom Tomatoes, Fennel and Basil Vinaigrette (see recipe)
Savory Tomato Tart (see recipe)
Gourmet Bruschetta (see recipe)
How do you like to eat your tomatoes?