The Secret To Staying Slim

The secret to staying slim could be as simple as slipping some tomatoes into your sandwich.

It is thought the fruit is rich in compounds that alter levels of appetite hormones and leave us feeling satisfied.

Snacking between meals is a common pitfall of dieters, and the humble tomato could provide them with a cheap and easy way to keep hunger at bay.

Reading University researchers investigated the benefits of enriching white bread with fruit and vegetables. A small group of women of normal weight, aged between 18 and 35, were offered cream cheese sandwiches made with white bread or bread enriched with carrots and tomatoes.

The researchers expected the extra fibre to make the carrot-bread lunches the most filling. Instead, the tomato bread was the most satisfying, a nutritional conference in France heard.

Researcher Dr Julie Lovegrove said: "They were given the sandwiches in a random order and we recorded how full they said they were. It was a small study, and we can't yet say what the crucial tomato ingredient is, but the results were statistically significant."

The appetite-suppressing ingredient could be lycopene, which gives tomatoes their red colour and has already been credited with warding off cancer and boosting fertility. Studies also show that tomatoes can help heart health.

Regular servings of tomato sauce and juice lower cholesterol levels in a matter of weeks. If that wasn't enough, tomato based dishes may protect against sunburn and keep skin looking healthy into old age.

Tomatoes are also rich in vitamin C, which helps the body heal wounds and absorb iron.