High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and one of the most common reasons why North Americans are prescribed medication. One of the big dietary drivers of heart disease is an imbalance between dietary sodium and potassium content, with tomatoes being an excellent potassium source their inclusion can contribute to improved heart health and reduced disease risk.

Scientifically considered a fruit, tomatoes are much more similar to a vegetable both in terms of their nutrient profile and culinary usage. Tomatoes are similar to many vegetables in the sense they provide dietary fibre for almost no calories ( ~75 grams of tomato being 1 gram of fibre, 15 cals) and share both fruit and vegetables unique capacity to contain multiple families of beneficial antioxidant compounds.

They are rich in a wide array of important nutrients including potassium, folate and Vitamins C & K, with potassium being the mineral that is the most likely among them to be under consumed at the population level. What makes tomatoes truly unique, however, is that they are among the richest sources of the dietary antioxidant known as lycopene – which may be uniquely protective against prostate cancer. Often seeing your local family physician for a referral to registered dietitian, nutritionist or who have available appointments to treat conditions, symptoms of  in conjunction with Smart Food Now.  

  High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and one of the most common reasons why North Americans are prescribed medication. One of the big dietary drivers of heart disease is an imbalance between dietary sodium and potassium content, with tomatoes being an excellent potassium source their inclusion can contribute to improved heart health and reduced disease risk.

Registered Dietitian and Cardiologist talk about the Heart Health Benefits of Tomatoes