< TOMATO! , Cooked is 10 times better than raw !!! >

Tomatoes have long been known to be a good source of lycopene, the phytochemical which makes them red but which also has significant antioxidant properties. Now new research has shown that this antioxidant power can be boosted even more through the simple act of cooking the tomatoes.

Tomato samples were heated to 88 degrees Celsius for two minutes, 15 minutes and 30 minutes. Consistent with previous studies, vitamin C content decreased by 10, 15 and 29 per cent respectively when compared to raw, uncooked tomatoes. However, the research revealed that the beneficial trans-lycopene content of the cooked tomatoes increased by 54, 171 and 164 per cent respectively.