Okay, I must be really late to the party, as grape tomatoes have apparently been around for years. Well, they have become a new staple for me since I started eating the SuperFoods Rx way.

It turns out that tomatoes are a really super food:

In the area of food and phytonutrient research, nothing has been hotter in the last five years than studies on the lycopene in tomatoes. This carotenoid found in tomatoes (and everything made from them) has been extensively studied for its antioxidant and cancer-preventing properties. The antioxidant function of lycopene – its ability to help protect cells and other structures in the body from oxygen damage – has been linked in human research to the protection of DNA (our genetic material) inside of white blood cells. Prevention of heart disease has been shown to be another antioxidant role played by lycopene.

In contrast to many other food phytonutrients, whose effects have only been studied in animals, lycopene from tomatoes has been repeatedly studied in humans and found to be protective against a growing list of cancers. These cancers now include colorectal, prostate, breast, endometrial, lung, and pancreatic cancers.

One of the things I’ve come across is the importance of eating tomato skins (nature tends to put a lot of the nutrients in edible skins, like with potatoes and apples). And thus grape tomatoes are a good choice, since they really maximize the skin to pulp ratio.

And golly gee, they are just so darn cute :).

I usually go for organic (I generally try to buy organic if I’m going to eat the skin). I wash the pint when I bring it home, and then either just eat ‘em whole or stir fry them into whatever I’m cooking.

If you’ve been living in a cave like me, be sure to look for grape tomatoes the next time you’re in the store. You may become a convert!