Nigeria Daily News: Tomatoes Helpful In Fight Against Prostate Cancer, Says Nutritionist

Tomatoes Helpful In Fight Against Prostate Cancer, Says Nutritionist
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Staff on 27/10/2012 20:00:00


A Lagos-based nutritionist, Mrs. Grace Odinaka, said yesterday that consumption
of tomatoes could help reduce the risk of cancer.
Odinaka, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Divine Release Nursing Home,
Ojo, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
She told NAN that a lot of people have relegated the importance of tomatoes and
that some, especially children, are fond of picking them out of their meals.
Odinaka said that tomatoes contain Lycopene, an antioxidant, which researchers
agree, has powerful anti-cancer properties.
She said that the properties are especially helpful in warding off prostate
cancer and reducing the risk of heart disease and premature aging.
According to her, mothers, as caregivers in the home, should encourage good
consumption of tomatoes and vegetables for adequate nourishment.
She said that tomatoes could be consumed as appetisers, juice, sauce or soup and
are rich in Vitamins A, B and C.
“This vegetable is poor in calories, so there is no need to worry about excess
calories; tomatoes will not add any more. It is the perfect vegetable for a
diet. It is rich with about 90 per cent of water which helps you eliminate
toxins while you are on a diet,” she said.
She noted that while many individuals prefer to consume juices made up of
chemicals, big red cherry tomatoes could be squeezed as juice and served as a
very healthy drink.
Odinaka said it is also good to serve tomatoes in salad or mix them with other
vegetables or sandwiches.
She, therefore, urged mothers to discourage their wards from throwing out
tomatoes or onions from their meals, as these are healthy nutrients needed for
growth.
The nutritionist admonished everyone to eat healthy foods necessary to help
fight ailments.