With so much to choose from it's no wonder we all have to be selective about the stuff we're putting into our bodies. Does pomegranate juice contain as much Vitamin C as manufacturers claim it to have? Are carrots really good for the eyes? What's so fantastic about Cranberries? Does drinking water promote great looking skin? This week digitalk brings you the truth about some of the foods that have been hailed as having exceptional health benefits straight from some of the world's leading scientific and health journals found right here in our eResources. We'll let you decide what's good and what's grot...or maybe simply just not worth a taste at all.

First up today: The tomato.

Tomatoes are generally thought to be good for the skin, but it has other important health giving properties as well. The hot stuff which puts tomatoes in the spotlight is called Lycopene.

Lycopene is a major and very important antioxidant component because of its ability to reduce reactive oxygen species called free radicals that contribute to the natural 'death' of cells allowing newer cells to be produced. Overtime however as free radicals are accumulated in the body, aging becomes more pronounced. That's easy to understand. We're all familiar with aging, wrinkles, crow feet, laugh lines and sagging skin. More than that however free radical damage within cells has been linked to a range of disorders including cancer, arthritis, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and diabetes.

Most of the studies undertaken were to determine the usefulness of lycopene against cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Epidemiological (that's science speak for the branch of medicine dealing with the incidence and prevalence of disease in large populations) studies, however, yielded conflicting results. This study was undertaken to compare cardioprotective abilities of tomato juice and lycopene. Rats were forced fed (tomatoes aren't really a rat's cup of tea don't you agree?) either tomato juice or lycopene for 3 weeks and showed considerable improvements in cardiovascular performance. Other animal studies also suggest that diets containing tomatoes may decrease the risk or the progression of prostate cancer.

The lycopene in tomatoes are a wonderful protection against the harmful UV rays of the sun too. If you have sun-sensitive skin which reddens easily under moderate to strong sunlight, eat your tomatoes. The red fruit has been proven to, within a matter of a week, improve the condition of sensitive skin making it more resistant to the reddening effects of the sun's rays, and trust me, it also means that your skin stays younger-looking longer. This doesn't mean going out without a good dose of sunblock though!

Tomatoes are indeed an essential in your everyday diet. Tomato juice, puree, or just a plain old tomato salad can do it for you daily.

For more on healthy eating, check out our eBook What to Eat: Ten Things You Really Need to Knowto Eat Well and Be Healthy. To explore other eBooks you can go to our website and click on 'eResources'.

Image reference: Saturday Magazine, Ireland, 15 March 2008,Library PressDisplay

Text reference: The Tomato as a Functional Food, Journal of Nutrition, May2005, Vol. 135 Issue 5, p1226-1230, EBSCOhost