What is lycopene and why do we need it?
Lycopene is a carotenoid and is responsible for the red to pink colors in fruits and vegetables. Lycopene is found in fruit or vegetables such as tomatoes, pink grapefruits, carrots, watermelons, red cabbage, and more.
Lycopene is one of the most powerful natural antioxidants, and it’s easy to add to your diet through fresh foods1.
Because of its antioxidant functions, consuming lycopene-rich foods has been associated with reducing the risk of many chronic illnesses including researched connections with cancer prevention, maintaining good blood pressure, skin cancer prevention, and more1.
Increasing your consumption of lycopene-rich foods, not only gives you the health benefits of vitamins and minerals, but you can also reduce your risk of many chronic illnesses.
What is the easiest way to increase my lycopene?
Eat tomatoes! Yes, tomatoes or tomato-based sauces such as pasta, or even ketchup, are the easiest way to increase your lycopene. In addition, tomatoes are a good source of vitamin C, potassium, folate, and even vitamin K. Plus tomatoes have other benefits with compounds that have been associated with a decrease in inflammations or may even help lower blood pressure (for those with elevated levels) 2.
Garden of Vegan includes tomatoes or tomato-based sauces in many of their meals so it's easy to increase your lycopene intake!
Many of Garden of Vegan's meals contain tomatoes or tomato-based sauces which will help you increase your lycopene. All Garden of Vegan's healthy meals list the ingredients on the 'Nutrition Details' panels so you can see for yourself which meals have tomatoes or tomato-based sauces.
Cooking for yourself? Garden of Vegan makes it easy to increase your lycopene consumption with our organic pantry boxes and produce boxes.
Introduce more lycopene-rich foods into your diet with our pantry items and our produce boxes. You can include more carrots, tomatoes, or red cabbage into your meals by having fresh organic vegetables delivered to your door.
How can Garden of Vegan's NDIS participants increase lycopene consumption?
Garden of Vegan's NDIS participants can choose their meals from any of the meals that we deliver! So browse our organic, healthy meals, pick ones with more tomatoes or tomato-based sauces, and remember you only pay for the food cost component of the meals that you order. NDIS Participants and NDIS plan managers, learn more about Garden of Vegan NDIS plans.
Take control of your health and increase your lycopene intake!
Browse our organic, healthy meals or choose any of our meal plans and you can increase your lycopene with ease. And, we deliver these healthy foods direct to your door!
Read more Garden of Vegan nutrition articles
How Can I Increase My Protein Intake?
Calories, Protein, Carbs, And Fat, What Does It All Mean?
Great Plant-based Sources of Calcium
References:
1. Health Benefits of Lycopene - Nourish by WebMD
2. Tomatoes 101: Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits - healthline
