Tomatoes; cherry tomatoes!

Cherry tomatoes; picked this morning!

Tomatoes are native to South America but luckily they can be enjoyed most everywhere.  I am thrilled I have them in my garden.  Digging in the dirt on hot days I can just pick them off the vine and enjoy a burst of refreshing goodness.  Not only are they delicious tasting they are packed full of nutrients.  Vitamins A, C, and E, potassium, as well as flavonoids (anti-inflammatory awesomeness!)  Have you heard of lycopene?  The antioxidants found in tomatoes are getting serious looks because they are fighters of damaging free radicals that are constantly attacking our cells in our bodies.  We need that kind of army.  The environment can really be harsh and so we must look for things we can change, do, eat to help our bodies out.  Tomatoes are an easy way to get some help.

Did you know there are studies eating tomatoes regularly can reduce the risk of men getting prostate cancer! Super fantastic; so you men eat up!  Not only can tomatoes be good for prostate cancer, it can help ward against other cancers like stomach and breast cancers.  It can help boost the skins ability to shield against UVA rays; “Sun damaging rays, back off!”  Lycopene = great for skin.

Eat the whole tomato to reap all the benefits.  The redder the better as the lycopene is in the  color.  Cooked tomatoes are said to have more lycopene as the heat releases more of the lycopene.  However cooking reduces the vitamin C content.  What do we do? Eat them raw or cook them?  Eat both is the answer!

You don’t need a lot of space to grow tomatoes; especially cherry tomatoes.  They are becoming my favorite because they are so easy to grow and care for.  You can grow them in a container, a corner of a small yard, and even a hanging basket!

To my readers; eat pizza with thick red tomato sauce, spaghetti topped with chunky tomato sauce, brushetta with fresh garlic and herbs on thick crusty bread, tomatoes on salad, toss a cup worth in your green drink; whatever you do eat them cooked, eat them raw…just eat them!  Peace Koko

Drink To Your Health…drink green

Green drink…just made. Consume right away to reap all the benefits. 😉

If you don’t like to eat your veggies, maybe this would be an easier way for you to get them down.  I’ve never had a vegetable aversion.  I was teased for being a “rabbit” as a kid, always eating something in the vegetable family.  I don’t juice as in squish my veggies and get only the juice.  I drink the juice and pulp together. I believe the fiber is highly essential to good health.

(Collard, oak leaf lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, green basil, purple basil, from garden.  Organic baby carrots and ginger from store.)

This green drink today was: two good handfuls of oak leaf lettuce, 6 cherry tomatoes, 10 baby carrots, 8 basil leaves-purple and green, 10 mint leaves, a good handful of cilantro, 4 medium size collard leaves, ginger about an inch and a half piece and add enough water to your liking.  For this amount I added about 1-2 cups of water as well as 4-5 ice cubes.  If you like it with more liquid; add more water.  I usually drink mine down about half way and add more water. I will do this one or two more times (adding water). I try and drink around 96 ounces of water a day.

The mint really makes this refreshing.  Have fun blending your veggies. My blended drinks are different a lot of the times.  I use what I gather out of my garden and what is in season.

What kinds of drinks do you drink just for the health of it?

Drink green every day.  Drink to health.  Peace, Koko