Whichever way you say it, we can all agree that nothing beats a luscious, ripe tomato. Summer tomatoes are fresh, colorful and oh-so juicy! Most regard the tomato as a vegetable, but in fact, the tomato is actually a fruit – a berry to be precise. Its “vegetable image” is derived from its not-so-sweet taste and the way it’s typically eaten, served and used in salads, pasta sauces, stews and soups.

Size, Shape, Color

There are many different varieties of tomatoes, the most common being the typical red, round version. You can find tomatoes in various sizes, shapes and colors. They can be as small as a grape – hence the name “grape tomato” – and as large as a grapefruit. Their shape can vary from round to oblong and their colors include red, yellow, orange, pink, purple, green and even white.

History

Versatile and delicious, tomatoes have an interesting history. Did you know… The tomato's origin can be traced back to the early Aztecs around 700 A.D. In 1897, Joseph Campbell mass-produced the first tomato soup, now regarded as one of the first “comfort foods.” Over the last couple years, heirloom tomatoes have become increasingly popular because of their flavor and variations in color and shape. Today, there are hundreds, maybe even thousands of tomato recipes. Simply slice and eat them, or create tomato marmalade. You can even fry them – ever heard of fried green tomatoes?

Health Benefits

Tomatoes are high in antioxidant vitamins; beta-carotene, vitamins C and E and lycopene. Lycopene is an antioxidant that fights free radicals, which can interfere with normal cell growth and potentially lead to cancer, heart disease and premature aging. This means tomatoes are helpful in preventing heart disease and cancers. Also high in potassium and low in sodium, tomatoes help combat high blood pressure and prevent fluid retention, as well.

Market of Choice offers a large variety of fresh, local tomatoes. Enjoy one today!

A simple way to enjoy fresh tomatoes:

1. Cut a fresh tomato crosswise into ½” thick slices.

2. Prepare a simple balsamic vinaigrette.

3. Mix 2 T extra virgin olive oil, 2 T balsamic vinegar, and 1 T minced shallots and shake.

4. Drizzle vinaigrette onto tomatoes.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

The following nutrition information is for one serving of tomatoes, or one cup of chopped or sliced tomatoes. This general information is for any variety of red tomatoes.

Calories: 32 Protein: 1.58 g Carbohydrates: 7 g Fiber: 2.2 g Sugars: 4.73 g Fat: 0.36 g Saturated Fat: 0.083 g Calcium: 18 mg Iron: 0.49 mg Potassium: 427 mg Sodium: 9 mg Vitamin C: 22.9 mg Lycopene: 4631 mcg 

Hooray! Hooray! Summer has arrived! For me, summer officially begins when I get to cruise through Market of Choice and marvel at the vibrant colors and smell the sweet aromas of all the fresh local fruits and vegetables. I enjoy fruits and vegetables year round, but during this time of year there is something about them that’s even more special.

To celebrate the start of the summer season, I prepare a big fresh bowl of local strawberries and share them with my families and friends. Many of these fresh, local berries, full of oh-so sweet flavor are often eaten before they make it to the bowl.

As June rolls into July and July to August, many other fruits ripen for our enjoyment, including raspberries (my favorite berry of them all), sweet melons, juicy plums, scrumptious peaches, succulent nectarines and refreshing watermelon. Yum.

Wonderful Berries

In Eugene, we are fortunate to have fresh berries throughout the season. Strawberries mark the beginning of summer, followed by raspberries, blueberries, marionberries and then yummy blackberries. Eating a berry-rich diet can help to reduce the risk of several types of cancers.

Some “berry” good facts:

• The pigments that give berries their beautiful blue and red hues are also good for your health.
• Cranberries and blueberries contain a substance that may prevent bladder infections.
• Blueberries and raspberries contain lutein, an antioxidant that’s important for healthy vision.
• Berries contain phytochemicals and flavonoids that help prevent some diseases.

Selection, Preparation & Freezing

When choosing berries, look for ripe, colorful and firm berries with no sign of mold or mushy spots. Most berries are naturally sweet and require little time or effort to prepare. Just rinse them under water and enjoy them as a snack or dessert, or add a little flavor and sweetness to your cereal or yogurt. You can enjoy them year round, if you individually freeze them during their peak season when they are most favorable and affordable. Simply place clean berries in a single layer on a cookie sheet or tray and freeze until solid. Then put them in individual freezer bags. When you want some in the cold months of December, they should be as good as the day you picked them.

Nutritional Value Berries (1/2 cup serving)

	Strawberries	Raspberries	Blueberries
Calories	24	32	43
Fat (grams)	0.3	0.4	0.3
Carbohydrates	5.5	5.5	10.8
Vitamin A (i.u.)	21	84	77
Vitamin C (mg)	45	16	10
Calicum (mg)	11	14	5
Phosphorus (mg)	15	8	8
Potassium (mg)	131	99	68
Sodium (mg)	1	0	5
Fiber (grams)	1.8	4.8	3.5

* Fresh berries are always yummy on a piece of angel food cake served with a dollop of whip cream.

Gluten-Sensitive Enteropathy (GSE) is a genetic disorder that affects 1 out of every 133 people in the United States. GSE includes celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis and can be managed by food choices. That’s right – food is the only medicine that can be used to manage and control the disease. The prescription: a life free of gluten. Sounds simple, right?

A friend of mine, recently diagnosed with celiac disease, assumed this dietary change would be a simple transition. But she soon learned that it was more complicated than she first thought.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Most types of cereals and many types of breads contain gluten. Not all foods from the grain family, however, contain gluten. Gluten-free grains, starches and proteins include: corn, rice, potatoes, starch, tapioca, arrowroot, buckwheat, quinoa, garfava, sorghum, amaranth, teff, nut flours, beans and products made from these.

Did you know that gluten is found in less-obvious foods, such as soy sauce, package mixes, some cheeses, prepared foods, and beer, among others? And it’s important to note that “wheat free” is not the same as “gluten free.”

Committing to a gluten-free diet requires a new way of eating, shopping, learning to love new favorites, and experimentation. Here are a few tips to help you get started:

• Meet with a dietitian: To better understand how to shop and indentify gluten-free foods, meet with a dietitian who can teach you how to read labels and create a menu to make shopping and meal planning less stressful. A dietitian can also provide a list of recommended resources that might include the Internet, books and local support groups.

• Shop at a store that carries gluten-free products: Many of the foods you’ve eaten in the past, such as corn tortillas, rice, fruits, vegetables and meats are likely gluten free. Some foods, such as breads, cereals, pancake mix and noodles are made gluten free and are labeled as such. Market of Choice offers a wide variety of gluten-free (GF) products, from sweet to savory and fresh to frozen. Be sure to check labels – when in doubt, go without.

• Organize your pantry: Keep your gluten free foods separate from other foods in the pantry. Mark those that are to be kept gluten free with a marker – foods like mayonnaise, butter and jam that might get cross-contaminated.

• Keep it simple: Buy and prepare unprocessed foods, such as fresh fruits, vegetables and unprocessed meats. Keep the starches simple: baked potatoes, yams, or steamed rice.

What is vitamin D?
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that's formed when skin is exposed to the sun's ultraviolet rays. Vitamin D is also found in food and dietary supplements.

There are two major types of vitamin D:
• Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is made naturally by the body when its exposed sun; it’s also found in certain foods.
• Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) is the most common form found in supplements; it's also used to fortify certain foods, such as milk.

Both types of vitamin D must be converted in the liver and kidneys to its active form to be useful to the body.

What does vitamin D do?
The main function of vitamin D is to maintain normal levels of calcium and phosphorus in the blood, which helps support bone mineralization (hardening of bones), assists with cell function and proper nerve and muscle function. Vitamin D is needed for normal growth.
Vitamin D deficiency may result in: muscle and bone pain, diabetes, fibromyalgia, psoriasis gum disease, mood disorders, depression, improper immune function, osteoporosis, cancer, and autoimmune disease.

What are good sources of vitamin D?
Sun: the main source of vitamin D comes from exposure to the sun's UVB rays.
Food:
    • Fish: vitamin D naturally in certain types of fish, such as herring, mackerel, salmon, and sardines.
    • Fortified Foods:  milk, some juice products, breakfast cereals, and other foods fortified with vitamin D
Supplements:
Multivitamins and calcium supplements provide vitamin D, but the amount varies widely so it's important to read labels. Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is the preferred form. Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) is 25 percent less potent. You can find Vitamin D3 in pill form, as well as in drops.  

What is the recommended vitamin D intake?

In the United States, the Institute of Medicine's recommendations for vitamin D intake are as follows:
    • Birth to 50: 200 IU (5 mcg)
    • 51-70: 400 IU (10 mcg)
    • Over 71: 600 IU (15 mcg)
    • Pregnant and nursing women: 200 IU (5 mcg)

These recommendations were set in 1997. There is growing consensus that vitamin D reference intakes need to be reassessed, based on increasing evidence that vitamin D insufficiency is widespread in the general population and that vitamin D plays a key role in bone health and the prevention of chronic health conditions.

FOOD	Vitamin D IU
Catfish 3 oz	570
Salmon, canned  1/4 cup	480
Salmon, wild  3 ½ oz	500
Salmon, farmed  3 ½ oz	75-200
Mackerel, 3 ½ oz	345
Shrimp  3 oz	290
Tuna, 3 oz	200
Soymilk, Silk 1 c	120
Milk	100
Dannon Lite and Fit Yogurt  6 oz	80
Fortified Breakfast Cereal	40
Egg 1	20
Cod Liver Oil, 1 T	1200
Sensible sun exposure (6-20 minutes, between 10 a.m. -3 p.m., May-Sept.	10,000 – 20,000

Who may require extra vitamin D?
    • People with limited sun exposure: The amount of vitamin D formed from exposure to the sun is affected by season and latitude. In general, we don’t get enough UVB rays to form vitamin D during the fall and winter months in our area.
    • People who are homebound, women who wear robes and head coverings for religious reasons, and people whose jobs or work hours limit their exposure to sunlight are likely not obtaining significant amounts of vitamin D from sunlight.
    • People who use sunscreen: The use of sunscreen prevents the formation of vitamin D, too. Even sunscreen with an SPF of 8, an amount found in many daily moisturizers, can greatly reduce vitamin D production.
    • People with greater skin pigment: People with darker skin have more melanin, the pigment that gives skin its color. Melanin absorbs UV rays, which reduces the skin's ability to produce vitamin D. The more pigment in a person's skin, the more important it is that he or she consume enough vitamin D.
    • Older people: Older people are at greater risk of vitamin D deficiency, as the ability to produce vitamin D dwindles with age. In fact, vitamin D levels in elderly subjects have been found to be approximately 30 percent of the levels found in young adults.
    • People who can't properly absorb fat (fat malabsorption): Vitamin D requires some dietary fat in order to be absorbed in the small intestine. People with conditions that cause fat malabsorption, such as cystic fibrosis, celiac disease, Crohn's disease, and chronic liver disease, are more prone to vitamin D deficiency.
    • People with kidney disease may not be able to convert vitamin D to its active form.

Side effects and safety:
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. This means that, if consumed in excess, it can build up in the body and cause toxic symptoms, unlike vitamin C and other water-soluble vitamins. Because the buildup is slow, it can take months or years before toxic levels are reached. The safe upper limit of vitamin D is 2,000 IU (50 mcg) for men and women. For infants (up to 12 months), the safe upper limit is 1,000 IU (25 mcg).  There is growing evidence suggesting that these upper limits may be too low. Until a new limit is set, however, it's recommended that you not exceed the upper limit unless under physician supervision. People with hyperparathyroidism or sarcoidosis should not consume vitamin D, unless they have consulted their physician.

Possible drug interactions:
The combination of vitamin D and calcium should not be taken with thiazide diuretics, because it could lead to excess calcium levels in the body. Consult your physician before taking either. People taking calcium-channel blockers should not take vitamin D and calcium, unless under a doctor's supervision, because it may interfere with the effect of the medication. Certain medications, such as phenytoin (Dilantin), primidone (Mysoline), phenobarbital, valproic acid (Depakene), corticosteroids, cimitidine (Tagamet), heparin, isoniazid (INH) and rifampin may interfere with the absorption or activity of vitamin D.