The New Complete Book of Food

 The New Complete Book of Food

one 8-ounce cup of orange juice. NOTE: The amount of vitamin C in any one tomato

depends on the variety and when the tomato is harvested. Those harvested from June

through October in the northern hemisphere generally have more vitamin C per tomato than

those harvested at other times during the year.

Tomatoes are members of the nightshade family, Solanacea. Other members of

this family are eggplant, peppers, potatoes, and some mushrooms. These plants produce

natural neurotoxins (nerve poisons) called glycoalkaloids. The glycoalkaloid in tomatoes

is alpha-tomatine, found in the green parts of the plant. Ripe tomatoes have practically no

alphatomatine, and it is estimated that an adult would have to eat 150 small green tomatoes

to get a potentially lethal dose. But less than two ounces of tomato leaves is considered

deadly for an adult.

The Most Nutritious Way to Serve This Food

Fresh and ripe.

With the seeds (for the most vitamin C). Cooked, with a bit of oil (for the most lyco-

pene, see below Medical uses and/or benefits).

Diets That May Restrict or Exclude This Food

Low-fiber diet

Buying This Food

Look for: Smooth round or oval tomatoes. The tomatoes should feel heavy for their size;

their flesh should be firm, not watery. If you plan to use the tomatoes right away, pick ripe

ones whose skin is a deep orange red. If you plan to store the tomatoes for a few days, pick

tomatoes whose skin is still slightly yellow.

Choose pear-shaped Italian plum tomatoes for sauce making. They have less water

than ordinary tomatoes and more sugar.

Avoid: Bruised tomatoes or tomatoes with mold around the stem end. The damaged toma-

toes may be rotten inside; the moldy ones may be contaminated with mycotoxins, poisons

produced by molds.

Storing This Food

Store unripe tomatoes at room temperature until they turn fully orange red. Tomatoes picked

before they have ripened on the vine will be at their most nutritious if you let them continue

to ripen at a temperature between 60° and 75°F. Keep them out of direct sunlight, which can

soften the tomato without ripening it and destroy vitamins A and C. At room temperature,

yellow to light pink tomatoes should ripen in three to five days.