Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a good source of several vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C, vitamine E, potassium, vitamin K and folate, and they are loaded with a super healthy antioxidant called lycopene
The skin and seeds of a tomato provide half of all the vitamin C and lycopene - so although many recipes call for peeling or deseeding them, it is best not to to maximize the nutrients
Some produce provides greater nutritional benefit when cooked, like carrots and tomatoes are one of them. The longer they are cooked the more health benefits you get. For this reason processed tomatoes or sauce has the richest sources of lycopene due the heat in the process and tomato paste has about ten times the amount of lycopene than raw tomatoes

When buying tomatoes:
- Try to find those that have the deepest red color for both taste and lycopene content
Although the orange and yellow tomatoes are sweet and flavorful they do not have the same nutritional benefit as the reds
- Size matters too - the smallest tomatoes are the most nutritious and flavorful
- It is advisable to choose organic tomatoes whenever possible since they are on th Environmental Working Group’s list of Dirty Dozen - the list of produce with the most pesticide residue that is published every year
- Most tomatoes are packed in cans that are lined with a plastic containing a toxic chemical called BPA - wherever possible choose tomatoes in glass jars

Do not store tomatoes in the fridge - they lose all their flavor
If you buy tomatoes that are not fully ripe, put them in a paper bag and store on the counter top

To avoid wasting any leftover tomato paste, freeze one tablespoon portions in an ice tray and pop them in a zip lock bag for use at a later time