Kids and Health Care: Things Like Lycopene

New research from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston suggests that eating something tomato-ey -- even ketchup on french fries -- nearly every day may lower your risk for heart disease by up to 50 percent.

Diets rich in lycopene -- a pigment in red fruits and veggies -- can help lower heart disease and prevent skin cancer.

Researchers analyzed blood samples from more than 28,000 women and found that over a nearly 5-year time frame women with the highest blood levels of lycopene had up to a 50 percent lower risk for developing heart disease. Their blood levels of lycopene reflected their dietary intake.

Tomatoes are the richest source of lycopene, but other good sources to include in your child's diet include:

• watermelon;
• papaya;
• pink grapefruit; and
• guava.

Getting your kids used to eating a good array of fruits and vegetables at a young age is important. These products supply the body with the right tools for staving off all sorts of cancers, among other ailments. And the sooner your kids learn to enjoy these foods, the better.

Tomatoes pack a nutritious bang for each bite, but keep in mind that lycopene is only one of 12,000 phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables that help lower the risk for heart disease.

How much lycopene do kids need to lower their risk for heart disease? The numbers aren't out yet, but studies show that people who include anywhere from seven to 10 servings a week of lycopene-rich foods have the lowest risk for heart disease. It also looks like blood levels of this heart-healthy compound decrease with age, so the older we are the more we need. What we do know is that the more fruits and vegetables you eat the better, and there is no evidence that lycopene-rich foods are harmful at any dose.

Lycopene is best absorbed and most helpful to the body when it comes from cooked and processed foods. But, fresh tomatoes are also a good source of lycopene. Deep-red tomatoes have more lycopene than pale ones or yellow or green tomatoes. Vine-ripened tomatoes have more than those picked green and allowed to ripen later. And, those grown outdoors in the summer have more lycopene than those grown in greenhouses.