The Right Ingredients

November 04, 2015

We’re pretty passionate about good food.

We could go on for hours about all the benefits of Mediterranean food, and all the peace of mind that comes from eating organic. But we thought we'd get down to the basics: Tomatoes – the stuff at the heart of our sauces. Go ahead, pick up a jar and read the first item on our list of ingredients. We’re not at all shy about it. That’s right. Tomatoes. Of course, you’re probably thinking, what’s the big deal? It is tomato sauce after all.

Our thoughts exactly. Here at Organico Bello, we think the first ingredient of pasta sauce should be tomatoes – not puree, not paste. Tomatoes. And the second ingredient? Organic produce (onions, or in some cases, kale). Not sugar and not water.

Food doesn’t have to be complicated to be good. In fact, we think getting back to the simple ingredients of a homemade recipe is the best way to eat well. Start with the right ingredients and everything falls into place.

So here are three healthy facts about our first and most important ingredient (that’s tomatoes, in case we didn't mention it):

Cancer prevention: You may have heard the word lycopene tossed around by health enthusiasts. It's the stuff that makes tomatoes red (or even reddish) and it happens to be full of antioxidants that can protect your DNA (think little cancer fighting agents). The best part? The most efficient way to get lycopene is through cooked tomatoes. So go ahead, load up that plate of spaghetti.
Heart Health: Tomatoes have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, probably because of a bunch of nutrients (lycopene included). Tomatoes are full of Vitamin C, which happens to be really good for your heart. The fruit-vegetables also have something called salicylates. Don't worry, they're better than they sound — they can reduce harmful blood clots and they have anti-inflammatory properties.
Bone Health: Your parents may have always told you to drink your milk to get strong bones, but they also should have been telling you to eat your tomatoes. Tomatoes contain Vitamin K, which, besides helping your body create healthy blood clotting, also increases bone mineral density.

Today, treat yourself to food the way nature intended it be.

Sources:

http://www.besthealthmag.ca/best-eats/nutrition/5-reasons-to-eat-more-tomatoes/#Ra0tEpLtkD6Q76OA.97

http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/hp/prostate-supplements-pdq/#link/_16

http://www.drugs.com/drug-class/salicylates.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11684396

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=44