If tomatoes are good for vascular health, might a colorful salad be even better? Filling up your plate with a rainbow of plant foods ensures a variety of healthful pigments rich in carotenoids and antioxidants. Adding a variety of these, including black carrot, grape skin, elderberry fruits and cherry to tomato puree further improved antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity and reduced production of VCAM-1 in endothelial cells.¹⁴
 
Not surprisingly, epidemiological studies and even clinical trials suggest that cardiovascular risk is lower in people who eat more vegetables, including potatoes, soybeans, sesame, celery, broccoli, lettuce and asparagus, as well as tomatoes and onions.
 
Beneficial ingredients in vegetables include vitamins, minerals, fibers, and plant proteins and pigments. These may lower cardiovascular risk via antioxidant activity, reducing inflammation, preventing platelet clumping; controlling blood pressure, blood sugar, and lipids; reducing heart muscle damage; and influencing various enzymes, gene expression, and signaling pathways.¹⁵
 
Even though tomatoes are a valuable part of a heart-healthy diet, why stop there? Eating a variety of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables lowers cardiovascular risk, based on laboratory studies, limited clinical trials, and many epidemiological studies.³ So enjoy a variety of these at the salad bar, or from your garden or produce section, and eat your way to endothelial health!