Divine
from
the Vine
“I approach food the same
way a portrait photographer
would a person,” says Leigh
Beisch, who shot this image for
EatingWell. “Heirloom tomatoes
have a tremendous amount of
personality and are beautiful in
their imperfect, quirky shapes,
smooth texture and most of all
incredible color.” Beisch is a San
Francisco-based photographer
and frequent EatingWell
contributor. In addition to these
heirlooms, she also snapped this
month’s cover.
Ah, tomato season—that special
time of year when a rainbow
of varieties arrive, tasting like
nothing short of sunshine. In
addition to their juicy delicious-
ness, tomatoes contain an anti-
oxidant called lycopene (found
most abundantly in the red-hued
beauties) that has been shown
to guard against certain cancers,
like stomach and prostate
cancer. And a Harvard review of
clinical studies found that eating
the fruit, and products made
from it—well hello, marinara
sauce!—reduces cardiovascular
disease risk. The anti oxidant
also helps protect skin from sun
exposure, especially when paired
with its natural partner: olive oil.
Women who consumed 16 mg
of lycopene daily (equivalent to
noshing one medium tomato)
along with the good-for-you fat
had significantly fewer signs
of UV damage after 12 weeks,
according to a study published in
the British Journal of Dermatol-
ogy. Tomatoes are a rich source
of vitamin C, as well, a nutrient
that ramps up the production of
collagen—a protein that keeps
skin plump and youthful. Mangia.
—Hallie Levine