Are you making a lot of tomato sauce right now? Don’t get rid of the skins or the seeds! This is where the majority of thelycopene (an antioxidant called a flavonol) is found, as well as essential amino acids, and the seeds contain lots of minerals (Ca, Cu, Mn, Zn, and Se) Really cool article about tomato skins. Both skin and seeds contain fiber, another essential dietary component. Cooking your tomatoes will destroy the heat-sensitive vitamin C, but boost the bio-availability of the other antioxidants like lycopene and release the minerals. Tomato paste and puree was found to be high in antioxidants, so enjoy these products! And if you make your own sauce, keep the skins on and the seeds in to maximize the nutritional value of your sauce. A hand blender is one of the best kitchen tools ever.
