tom-ay-toe, tom-ah-toe?

No matter how you say it, ripe tomatoes are one of the best picks from the produce section. Biologically, they're a fruit. Nutritionally, they're a vegetable. A medium ripe tomato has a mere 25 calories, but provides a good dose of both vitamin A and vitamin C. Recently tomatoes have risen to the forefront due to their presence of lycopene - a powerful antioxidant compound with cancer protecting benefits. The lycopene that naturally occurs in tomatoes becomes even more available when a tomato is cooked and in the presence of a small amount of oil. Bring on the tomato sauce!

There are thousands of varieties of tomatoes. Look for plump, heavy tomatoes with smooth skins that smell fragrant. The absence of an aroma indicates the tomato was likely picked while unripe and will likely never fully ripen. If the tomato is slightly under-ripe, store it on the kitchen counter rather than in the fridge for a couple days before eating.