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When I think of tomatoes, my mind wanders back to my childhood days in Pennsylvania where my folks always had a beautiful garden.  I didn’t especially like having to help “weed” the garden in my youth, but I sure did enjoy picking the fruit and eating it!!  We always had the best tomatoes – juicy and simply delicious!  This is something I still look forward to eating with great anticipation each summer.  There is nothing quite like the taste of a home-grown tomato. 

Currently, tomatoes are one of the most popular vegetables eaten by Americans. Tomatoes are members of the fruit family, but they are served and prepared as a vegetable. This is why most people consider them a vegetable and not a fruit. They are high in vitamin C and also provide beta-carotene. The National Cancer Institute published a study that showed an association between consuming a diet rich in tomato-based foods and a decreased risk of prostate cancer.

Tomatoes contain large amounts of an antioxidant called lycopene, which may be responsible for this possible positive effect. Tomato paste and sauces contain a greater amount of lycopene, because they are more concentrated than fresh tomatoes.

Varieties

There are thousands of tomato varieties. The most widely available varieties are classified in three groups: cherry, plum, and slicing tomatoes. A new sweet variety like the cherry tomato is the grape tomato, really wonderful to eat alone or in a salad.

How To Select

Cold temperatures damage tomatoes, so never buy tomatoes that are stored in a cold area. Choose plump tomatoes with smooth skins that are free from bruises, cracks, or blemishes. Depending on the variety, ripe tomatoes should be completely red or reddish-orange.

Storage

Store tomatoes at room temperature (above 55 degrees) until they have fully ripened. This will allow them to ripen properly and develop good flavor and aroma. Try to store tomatoes out of direct sunlight, because sunlight will cause them to ripen unevenly. If you must store them for a longer period of time, place them in the refrigerator. Serve them at room temperature. Chopped tomatoes can be frozen for use in sauces or other cooked dishes.

There’s nothing quite like a refreshing slice of icy-cold watermelon on a hot summer day.  Most agree it’s the perfect picnic food – juicy, sweet, and tasting of sunshine. 

Watermelon is also a healthy food choice no matter where you live.  It’s low in calories – only about 51 per cup – and it will give you a nutritious does of vitamins A and C, potassium, and the antioxidant lycopene.

Benefits:

Protects prostate

Promotes weight loss

Lowers cholesterol

Controls blood pressure

Helps stop strokes

If you want to satisfy your sweet tooth, fill yourself up, and stay on your diet, slice up a watermelon!  Experts know foods with a  high water content help you lose weight, and watermelon is a staggering 92 percent water.  What’s more, one slice contains only a single gram of fat.  So don’t pass up dessert just because you’re watching your weight – make for the melon!

Picking out the perfect watermelon is easy.  First, choose one that is symmetrical and firm, without bruises, cuts, or dents.  Next, pick it up.   You’re looking for one that’s heavy for its size.  Finally, turn it over.  If you see a yellow area, the watermelon rested on the ground while it ripened in the sun, which means you’ll get a sweeter, juicier melon.  Contrary to popular belief, don’t thump your melon – slap it.  If it sounds hollow, it’s ripe!

Bananas contain 3 natural sugars: sucrose, fructose and glucose. Combined with fiber, a banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just 2 bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90 minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the worlds leading athletes.

But, energy isn’t the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must add to our daily diet.

Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by M.I.N.D. amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS: Forget the pills eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium, yet low in salt, making it the perfect way to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food & Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruits ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito Bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight: Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature Control: Many cultures see the banana as a fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body’s water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be enhanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes: According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrates, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around.

A banana a day can also keep the doctor away!

You may eat pineapple for its taste, but you can feel equally good about its health benefits.  Pineapple has been used as a cold remedy for centuries for a variety of ailments, particularly digestive problems.  Modern research indicated that bromelain an enzyme found in both the stem and fruit, may be responsible for many of pineapples reputed health benefits.  In addition, pineapple contains substantial amounts of vitamin C and manganese.

Pineapples can benefit the body in at least five ways:

• strengthen bones
• relieve cold symptoms
• aid digestion
• dissolve warts (soak a cotton ball with fresh pineapple juice and apply it to the wart)
• block diarrhea

Pantry Pointers: Choosing a good pineapple can be a prickly process.  Unlike some fruits, the color of the shell does not tell you how ripe it is.  A pineapple with a green shell is as likely to be ripe as one with a shell that is golden yellow. (I still prefer a more golden color as they “seem” to be riper to me!)

You can try sniffing the pineapple at the stem end or choosing one with fresh-looking green leaves, but it wouldn’t hurt to check the tag as well.  If it says it has been jet-shipped, it’s more likely to be ripe.  That’s because pineapples don’t get any riper or sweeter once they’re picked – they just get older.  So the faster it gets to you, the better it will taste.

Once you bring your pineapple home, turn it upside down to allow the sweetness to go through the entire pineapple and refrigerate it to keep it fresh.  Pineapple is ideal for many dishes, but don’t use FRESH pineapple in gelatin dishes.  The enzyme bromelain prevents gelatin from setting properly.  In fact, the amount of bromelain in foods is sometimes measured in GDU’s – gelatin dissolving units.  Cooked or canned pineapple will work fine in gelatin dishes.  But if you’re eating it for the health benefits, fresh is better!

Since Strawberries are in abundance this time of year lets take a quick look at this super fast food!

A strawberry just might be the perfect berry. At least that's what people have believed for hundreds of years. Medieval stonemasons carved their shape into the altars and pillars of churches as a symbool of perfection and virtue. People ate them at festivals in hopes of a peaceful and happy future. Newlyweds celebrated with them and queens bathed in them.

If strawberries aren't the perfect food, they're close! Just one cup of medium berries has a full day's requirement of vitamin C. This delicious snack also fills you up with over 3 grams of fiber – almost as much as in an apple. In addition, strawberries come with hearty supplies of folate and potassium.
Just these nutrients alone could put you on your way to better heart health and cancer prevention. But strawberries also boost your well-being with antioxidants. They have more of these chemical superheroes than most other foods, according to the USDA-ARS Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging – which places them among the top five antioxidant-rich fruits. Strawberries keep you healthy in at least 4 ways: Corrals cancer, heals your heart, enhances your memory, soothes away stress.
With all their wholesome ingredients, strawberries are undeniably "berry" good for you!

Pantry Pointers: Whether you buy locally grown strawberries or ones from a supermarket, there are a few simple secrets for picking the best of the bunch. Remember that size doesn't matter. Just look for plump berries with bright red skins and green caps. Discard any that are soft or discolored. If you're buying by the carton, check the bottom of the container. If it's stained or wet, the strawberries on the bottom may be moldy or mashed.

When you bring your berries home, dump them out of their container and look for any overripe ones. Eat these right away – not a hard task at all! Keep the rest in the refrigerator, either in a covered container or wrapped in paper towels. Don't store them too long though, since strawberries keep only about a week.

A word of caution: The headline was frightening – "Frozen strawberries give schoolchildren hepatitis." This is not just newspaper hype. It's reality. Imported produce can carry harmful bacteria, mostly because food safety laws vary from country to country. But there are simple ways you can defend yourself.

If possible, buy from a strawberry farm near you and ask about fertilizing and processing methods. Always wash your hands in hot, soapy water before handling any food. Then wash your berries under running water, and use a vegetable brush to scrub away dirt and bugs.

Every now and then, a great food comes along that not only tastes good but is good for you, too!  Blueberries are sweet, juicy, cute, and delicious and they’re packed full of all sorts of amazing health benefits – like Vitamin C, fiber, calcium and iron.  And as far as getting antioxidant protection, you can’t do better than a serving of blueberries. 

When I think of blueberries my mind wanders back to my childhood days when my family and I would jump in the car and head to New Jersey to pick up our fresh blueberries!  My mom would always make our favorite summer time cake “Blueberry Buckle”.  It is still a summer favorite of ours.  In fact I made it just last week for my grandkids! It is great in the morning or any time since it is not too sweet – but just right!  Of course I’ve had to alter the original recipe to a healthier version but it still tastes great to me and I haven't heard any complaints from the grandkids!  (I’ve included the recipe for you to try too – enjoy!)

There are at least 6 ways Blueberries keep you healthy: they can help combat cancer, protect your heart, stabilize blood sugar, boost your memory, fight urinary tract infections and prevent constipation!  So be sure to get your supply while they are in season!

Pantry Pointers: Look for plump, dark blueberries without any mold, and use or freeze them within five days.  Since heating destroys some vitamins in the berry, it is best to eat them uncooked. (We especially like them in our oatmeal smoothie recipe I included last week!)  Freezing, however, does not affect the nutritional benefits. Wash the berries, pat them dry and then freeze on cookie sheets to keep them from clumping together or you can just freeze them without washing first – just remember to wash them thoroughly before you use them!! (By the way, Miracle II Neutralizer Liquid is a wonderful natural fruit & veggie wash!)

Chances are you’ve never eaten a cantaloupe.  Sure, you think you have.  You’ve brought home that big melon with the gray, netted rind and the sweet, orange pulp.  You’ve sliced it up on those still-warm days of late summer for breakfast or dessert.  You’ve wiped the juice off your chin and maybe even appreciated its measure of potassium, fiber, folate, beta carotene, and vitamin C.

You just don’t know its real name.

What you may call a cantaloupe is really a muskmelon.  Like squash and pumpkins, people have been enjoying this member of the gourd family for its pleasant scent and delicious taste since at least 2400 B.C.  But the muskmelon does more than merely smell and taste good.  It also helps protect you from eye problems, cancer and heart disease.

So bite into a nice, juicy muskmelon.  You’ll get a mouthful of flavor and a wealth of health benefits – even if you call it a cantaloupe!

PANTRY POINTERS:  When shopping for a muskmelon (cantaloupe), choose a melon that is heavy for its size with a sweet but not overpowering smell and no soft spots.  If it’s ripe, store it in the refrigerator – just be sure to seal it tightly since cantaloupes can take on the odors of nearby foods.  After all, you don’t want your cantaloupe to smell like fish or onions!  If the cantaloupe is hard or green, store it at room temperature until it’s ripe.

While shopping at Harry’s Farmers Market this week I couldn’t resist buying some peaches. I enjoy peaches in smoothies and on top of my Kashi GoLean High protein and High Fiber Cereal. Summer wouldn’t feel like summer without peaches!

The fuzzy peach and its clean-shaven brother, the nectarine, are members of the rose family.  Perhaps that’s why they smell so good.  You can find peaches and nectarines growing in warm climates all over the world these days, but experts believe these fruits got their start in China.

Peaches and nectarines are divided into two categories – clingstone, in which the fruit hangs onto the pit, and freestone, in which the flesh of the fruit pulls away from the pit.  They also come in three flesh colors, red, white and yellow – and in thousands of varieties. The yellow ones are highest in vitamin A, although all are good sources of vitamins A and C.

Most people prefer smooth peaches so the fuzz is brushed off by machines before they’re sent to the store.  Don’t confuse these with nectarines, – naturally fuzzless fruits with the same nutritional value.  Whether you prefer peaches or nectarines, though, you can’t go wrong with this sweet, delicious, 40-calorie treat.

You can add peaches to hot or cold cereal, or stick one in your lunch bag for a late-afternoon snack.  Peaches are also good in cobblers, pies, and jams.

Peaches can: prevent constipation; help combat cancer; help stop strokes; aide digestion; help hemorrhoids; and boost your immune system.

Peaches can also help keep your colon “peachy clean”.  Peaches are more than 80 percent water and area a good source of dietary fiber.  This combination makes them a perfect remedy for constipation.  One medium size peach has 7 percent of the dietary fiber you need each day.  Adding fruits like peaches to your diet can keep your regular and prevent straining during bowel movements.  Straining has been linked to hemorrhoids, diverticular disease, hiatal hernia, and even varicose veins.  So skip the potato chips, and grab a juicy peach the next time you wander into the kitchen looking for a snack. 

PANTRY POINTERS:  Peaches should be soft to the touch, but not mushy.  Try not to squeeze them, as they bruise easily.  Don’t choose rock hard or greenish peaches since they were probably picked too early.  Although they might look fine, they’ll never be very sweet.  Also, avoid peaches with tan spots on them, a sign of decay.  Because peaches keep ripening after being picked, they may need a couple of days on the counter to soften up.  If you refrigerate ripe peaches in a paper bag, they’ll keep for about a week.

To peel peaches easily, drop them into boiling water for one minute, then immediately put them into very cold water.  The skins should come right off. 

When buying canned peaches, be sure to buy ones packed in their own juice to avoid lots of added sugar and extra calories.

A WORD OF CAUTION: The U.S. Department of Agriculture has said U.S. peach growers are among the worst offenders in pesticide overuse, sometimes using thousands of times more than what it considers safe. Protect yourself from pesticides than can cause health problems and even cancer.  Try to buy organically grown peaches whenever possible.  If you can’t buy organic – grown without pesticides – remove the skin before eating.

Today people are eating 900 times more broccoli than they did 25 years ago.  Perhaps it’s because this “crown jewel of nutrition” is one of the healthiest foods you can buy.  Ounce for ounce, broccoli has more than twice as much vitamin C as oranges.  It’s also a good source of folate, vitamin A, potassium, and calcium.  And this member of the cabbage family contains several phytochemicals that may help prevent disease. 

Broccoli can benefit you in several ways:  It can strengthen bones, save your eyesight, combat cancer, protect your heart, and control blood pressure. 

PANTRY POINTERS:  When buying fresh broccoli, look for a deep green color – sometimes tinged with purple – and crisp leaves.  Refrigerate it for up to four days, but don’t wash it until you’re ready to eat.

If you steam your broccoli, you’ll save more of the nutrients.  But it’s also great raw, boiled, stir-fried, or added to any casserole

A variety of veggies, fruits and nuts battled it out this month for the top spot on a new list of the 20 most antioxidant-rich foods, ranked by nutrition scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In the end, small red beans won the day, narrowly beating out wild blueberries as the food with the highest concentration of disease-fighting compounds per serving.

Antioxidants fight damage to cells from rogue molecules called "free radicals." Experts believe this assault on cells may fuel killer diseases such as heart disease and cancer, and even aging itself.

The new Top 20 list, published in the June issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, "is a relative ranking of the capacity of foods to interfere with or prevent oxidative processes and to scavenge free radicals," explained list co-creator Ronald L. Prior, a USDA nutritionist and research chemist based in Little Rock, Ark.

Prior and his colleagues used the most advanced technologies available to tabulate antioxidant levels in more than 100 different types of fruits, vegetables, berries, nuts and spices.

Their Top 20:

1) Small red beans (dried)
2) Wild blueberries
3) Red Kidney beans
4) Pinto beans
5) Blueberries (cultivated)
6) Cranberries
7) Artichokes (cooked)
Blackberries
9) Prunes
10) Raspberries
11) Strawberries
12) Red Delicious apples
13) Granny Smith apples
14) Pecans
15) Sweet cherries
16) Black plums
17) Russet potatoes (cooked)
18) Black beans (dried)
19) Plums
20) Gala apples