How many times in the course of eating a vegetable or fruit have you ever wondered about the person who tried it first? How daring were they to try it and how did they know it was good to eat?

I have had those thoughts so many times, I have lost count and one of things I have thought about has been the tomato. So, in an effort to satisfy my curiosity and maybe yours, I am going to tell you the "real tomato story," whether you want to know it or not.

First of all, the tomato is really the fruit of a plant called that is called Lycopersicon lycopersicum and it is a member of the Nightshade family. The name of this fruit reflects some of its history and adds to its mystery. Lycopersicon means, "wolf peach" in Latin and refers to the belief that, like a wolf, this fruit is dangerous. The French called it pomme d'amour, meaning "love apple," because they believed it had aphrodisiac qualities. The Italians called it pomodoro or "golden apple" possibly because the first fruits they had known had been yellow in color.

Since most of us associate tomatoes with Italian foods you will be surprised to learn that the fruit/vegetable did not originate in Italy. Tomatoes were originally native to the western side of South America, including the Galapagos Islands. The first tomato was thought to have resembled what we now know as a cherry tomato.

While the tomato originated in South America, it was not cultivated there. The Mexican Indians began cultivating tomatoes because it so closely resembled their tomatillo, which was a staple of their cuisine.

When the Spanish conquistadors came to Mexico shortly after Columbus discovered the "New World," they discovered the tomatoes and brought the seeds back to Spain, which began the introduction of tomatoes to Europe.

Tomatoes were very popular in Europe, not as a food, but as an ornamental plant. It was considered poisonous, as it was a member of the Nightshade family. The leaves and stems are poisonous, but the fruit is an eating pleasure. By the 16th century the tomato made its way to Italy and the rest, of course, is history.

The tomato finally made its way to the United States with the colonists that settled in Virginia. However, it was not until the 19th century that tomatoes really gained popularity. Since that time many kinds and varieties have been developed and the tomato has become the most popular selling fruit/vegetable in this country.

The United States, Russian, Spain, Italy, China and Turkey are the top commercial producers of tomatoes in the world, today.

Now what is the value of a tomato, other than making our food taste great? That lovely red delicious looking tomato is a time bomb waiting to explode, with more healthful benefits, than one person can imagine. It is probably the most healthful food you can ever eat.

Tomatoes contain lycopene an antioxidant and cancer-preventing carotenoid. The antioxidant function has the ability to protect the cells and other structures in the body from oxygen damage, protects our DNA inside our while blood cells and is a heart attack preventative.

Lycopene offers protection against many cancers, which include prostate, breast, colorectal, endometrial, lung and pancreatic. Lycopene also helps women guard against cervical neplasia, a tumorous tissue growth in the cervix, according to research done at the University of Illinois in Chicago.

Tomatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin A, potassium, niacin, vitamin B6, fiber, and folate. Tomato juice may reduce blood-clotting tendencies according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Tomatoes are good for the eyes, lycopene was found to be the key antioxidant that guards against age-related macular degeneration, a condition that causes blindness.

People with type 2 diabetes who are high risk for cardiovascular disease could benefit from drinking tomato juice, as well as people with high cholesterol, those who have had a surgical procedure and those who smoke.

Tomato juice is a natural anti-inflammatory, (be certain to drink low sodium varieties.) Tomato juice may reduce blood-clotting tendencies, so for people with type 2 diabetes this may be just the thing to prevent blood clots.

According to the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry by drinking a glass of tomato juice a day, you can lower the primary markers of inflammation-TNF-alpha-by almost 35% in less than one month.

The production of excessive amounts of free radicals within the cells and the resulting recruitment of inflammatory compounds such as TNF-alpha have been linked to virtually all chronic degenerative diseases. These diseases include atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer's disease.

Even though I have seen Lyc-o-Mato mentioned as a juice in my research, further research on the Internet does not bring it up as a juice, but as a supplement that can be purchased at many health food stores. In pill form lyc-o-mato contains concentrated amounts of lycopene.

It seems that all this protection is not just due to the lycopene in the tomato, but result from the synergy of lycopene with the other phytonutrients naturally present in whole tomatoes.

From my research I could go on for many more pages and fill you in with all sorts of great information about what a wonderful vegetable or fruit (your choice of what you want to call it) the tomato is. But, for the sake of your eyes I will end with just a few more sentences.

Tomatoes are a great vegetable; they are loaded with a variety of vital health-giving nutrients. They are a wonderful addition to a heart-healthy and cancer-prevention diet. So whether it is by tomato soup, spaghetti sauce, canned tomatoes, tomato juice, vegetable juice, chunks in your salad or slices on a sandwich, increasing your intake of tomatoes is a great way to way to take positive steps to excellent health. It has been found that organic ketchup has more lycopene than ordinary ketchup, so aim for some of that each day.

Cooking tomatoes in oil increases intestinal absorption and results in a two to threefold rise in plasma lycopene concentrations. Tomato sauce is one of the best lycopene sources. However, no matter how you look at it, tomatoes are one of the best medicines you can grow on a vine.

And that is the real tomato story.

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