11 hours Ago By Nicola Roy
Tomatoes are one of the most versatile kitchen ingredients around. Used in so many different cuisines and dishes, from salads to pasta, they're a great way to add a fresh and saucy kick to your meals. Not only are they delicious, but they're healthy too.
Tomatoes are an excellent source of vitamins A, C and K, supporting immune function, vision and bone health. However, it turns out you can make them even more nutritious by simply pairing them with another popular kitchen staple. The health experts at ZOE recently took to TikTok to unveil how you can make your favourite healthy snacks even more nutritious.
And the answer lies in science, as certain foods can create reactions in others, and how they're absorbed into the body. Nutritionist Will Bulsiewicz used tomatoes as an example, saying you can boost their nutritional value by eating them with gut health favourite, olive oil. This combination isn't just a great topping for bruschetta - it can also make a significant difference to how your body breaks down tomatoes.
Grabbing some tomatoes, he explained that they contain lycopene, which is a fat soluble antioxidant compound which can 'protect' us from heart disease, and reduces oxidative stress. However, he warned that it's not that easy for our bodies to absorb - unless combined with an extra virgin olive oil. He explained: "The fat from the extra virgin olive oil actually helps you to get more of the lycopene from the tomatoes.
" Giving another example of how you can 'synergise' foods to get more nutrition out of them, Will mentioned pairing black pepper with tumeric. Hailing the yellow spice as a source of 'powerful anti-inflammatory' curcumin, he said it's not easy for the body to digest. But pairing it with black pepper can really help, as it contains piperine, which 'dramatically increases' the absorption of curcumin from tumeric - so it's worth adding both next time you're cooking a curry.
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