Give Yourself a Lift With Lycopene

Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant and it is found in most produce that is red, but it is especially abundant tomatoes and also products made from tomatoes.  Lycopene is also good for your sex life and may have actually been the original apple that Adam gave to Eve in the Biblical tale. At any rate, lycopene is found in things that are red and red is the color of romance and it is also the color of the heart and circulatory system.It seems suitable somehow that lycopene also supports the heart and the health of the prostrate gland. As a free radical fighter it can help prevent all serious diseases

Lycopene Is An Anti-Aging Food

Lycopene is that anti-aging food that keeps your skin looking younger.  There is some truth to that statement that sex symbol and screen goddes Sophia Loren made when she claimed, “Everything you see here I owe to spaghetti.” It is  the lycopene in tomato based spaghetti sauce that kept her skin loosing so supple, soft and youthful well into her old age.  That is because when you consume it, it is deposited everywhere in your body including the lungs, liver, colon, prostate gland and skin.

Classified as a cartenoid, this antioxident tends to retain itself in body tissues for a very long time.  When you eat tomatoes, it is like putting a healthy deposit in “the bank of your body” to supply your personal fountain of youth later.

There are many benefits to consuming lycopene but it is especially effective when it comes to the reduction of the incidence of all kinds of cancer. As well as helping an individual avoid prostrate cancer it is also helpful in the prevention of breast cancer and cancers of the digestive tract.

Lycopene may also help reduce your risk of macular degeneration, more commonly known as blindness caused by old age.

Getting more Lycopene Into Your Life

It is easy to get more of this wonderful antioxidant into your life.  Start making meals in which tomato sauce or tomatoes play a big role in one or more dishes. You will get the most lycopene if you consume it cooked so think about making vegan tomato curries and stews, lasagna, pasta and brochettes.  You can also get lycopene from eating raw tomatoes or drinking a glass of tomato juice.  If you want to feel especially healthy and rehydrated, squeeze the tomato juice yourself and drink it fresh. However eating tomatoes that are processed, cooked or even from a can is actually recommended in the case of lycopene because processing increases the presence of this free radical fighter in the food.  A study done at the American Institute for Cancer Research has reported that lypcopene is more readily absorbed by the body when the tomatoes or cooked or process.  Canned tomatoes are a tremendously beneficial source of lycopene.

The tomato is the all-star source for lycopene but you can also source the antioxidant from fresh fruits and vegetables such as guavas, rosehips, pink grapefruit and watermelon.  you can also find rich sources of lycopene in red peppers, roasted and pickled red peppers and sun-dried tomato products.

For more information or to book a consultation about anti-aging, diet and weight loss programs or any health issue you may be experiencing, visit the Pinewood Natural Health Clinic website that has a list of full services and products at www.pinewood.ca or call our Toronto Office at  (416)-656- 8100.  We also have an office in Pickering, Ontario at (905)-427-0057. You can also email us at info@pinewoodhealth.ca and we would be happy to answer any question that you have about our holistic health services.