Power-Smile.com - Health Article

Liking Lycopene

Lycopene has been getting lots of attention lately, since this carotenoid may help prevent prostate cancer. Tomatoes and foods made from them are by far the main sources. Processed tomato products contain up to eight times as much of it as fresh tomatoes. Here, according to the USDA, are the best sources:

FOOD	SERVING SIZE	LYCOPENE
Tomato juice	1 cup	20 mg
Vegetable juice cocktail	1 cup	20 mg
Pasta sauce	1/2 cup	19 mg
Tomato puree	1/2 cup	18 mg
Tomato sauce	1/2 cup	17 mg
Lasagna*	6 oz	13 mg
Tomato soup	1 cup	12 mg
Tomatoes, canned	1/2 cup	11 mg
Tomato paste	1 oz (2 tbsp)	8 mg
Watermelon	4 oz	6 mg
Catsup	1 oz (2 tbsp)	5 mg
Tomato, fresh	4 oz	4 mg
Pizza	3 oz slice	4 mg
Grapefruit, pink	4 oz (1/2 cup)	2 mg
Minestrone soup	1 cup	2 mg
*depends on the amount of tomato sauce, of course, not the type of pasta.
Reprinted with permission from the University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter, The Newsletter of Nutrition, Fitness & Stress Management, from the School of Public Health, Volume 15, Issue 12, September 1999. To subscribe to the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter call (904) 445-6414.