Fit Food: The Benefits of Tomatoes

Picked fresh from the garden, tomatoes are bursting with flavor and delicious enough to eat like an apple. And you know how that whole "an apple a day" saying goes, right? Well, a tomato a day might be worth your while too, and here's why: 

• One medium tomato provides you with more than a quarter of your vitamin C for a day, and it's also rich in vitamin E and beta-carotene.
• Tomatoes are an excellent natural source of potassium, with 556 milligrams in just one cup of tomato juice, which makes them a tasty way to replenish your electrolytes after a long run or ride.
• Tomatoes are high in lycopene, an antioxidant that reduces inflammation and might decrease your risk of stroke.
• Eating tomatoes can also lower your cholesterol and blood pressure, according to a 2011 study. 

So don't sleep on tomatoes any longer—here are five ways to work these antioxidant powerhouses into your diet.