Copyright 2004 by Jim Bolding

They're everywhere! They're everywhere! No matter where you live in North America local produce markets are now full of delicious locally grown tomatoes. From now until the time of the first frost in your area you don't have to suffer the gassed baseballs that are usually passed off for tomatoes in your grocery. Tomatoes are the perfect diet food for all of us "poundage challenged". A medium sized tomato (About 8 ounces) only has 43 calories. Plus it has 2 grams of fiber, provides 66% of the RDA for vitamin C and counts as 2 vegetable servings. What a way to get your 5 a day!

Tomatoes are extremely portable. Pack a couple off to work with you for snacks and you can avoid that candy bar or bag of chips from the vending machine. Just eat them like you would an apple or a peach. (Better pack some napkins too!)

The tomato is a native of North America and was cultivated by the Aztecs as early as 700 A.D. Tomatoes are botanically a berry and therefore a fruit. However they are used as vegetables and were officially declared as such by the U.S. Supreme Court in the late 1800's.

I don't give a hoot how the government or anyone else classifies them. I just eat 'em. My favorite way is just sliced in a sandwich. However I also like them baked, broiled, sautéed, stewed, stuffed, and in salads. Heck, I don't think you can mess them up no matter which way you serve them.  A lot of people must agree with me because tomatoes are the number one vegetable that people purchase at least once a week, and they are the third most popular vegetable eaten by Americans.

When I go shopping for tomatoes I always try to choose some that are completely ripe and some that are not fully ripe for later. Completely ripe tomatoes are fragrant and red and give slightly to gentle pressure. The ones that are not fully ripe will ripen with time just placed on a counter. You can speed the process by placing them in a paper bag with an apple. The apple gives off ethylene gas, which quickens the ripening process.

Tomatoes should be stored at room temperature. Refrigeration ruins both the flavor and texture of tomatoes, and keeps them from ripening. Fully ripe tomatoes can be refrigerated for a short amount of time - 1 to 2 days - without harm.

My position is that if summer tomatoes contained no vitamins and minerals and had 1000 calories each I would eat them anyway. I give thanks to the Aztecs.

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Jim Bolding is the author of numerous weight loss articles and also the author of "Desserts For Dieters". An E-Book that allows you to enjoy desserts on whatever diet you are following. Click the link and learn more.

http://www.dessertsfordieters.com

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