Can Tomato Sauce Help Your Gut?

The saucy truth: In a new study published in the Journal of Functional Food, researchers are considering the effect that the antioxidants in cooked tomato sauce have on good gut bacteria. Researchers, led by Ana Belén Heredia, examined how the antioxidant lycopene, found in tomatoes, would interact with gut bacteria Lactobacillus reuteri in both raw and cooked forms. 

THE FINDINGS: While some antioxidants were lost in the digestive process of both cooked and raw tomato sauce, the cooked tomato sauce enhanced the positive effects of the gut bacteria. 

CONSIDER cooking up a big batch of marinara this week.