Ketchup: Redder is Better

Not all ketchups are equal. Researchers compared lycopene levels and found that organic brands have three times the amount of the cancer-fighting phytochemical compared to ordinary brands.

Study co-author Dr. Betty Ishida says it's because they're made with riper tomatoes. "The darker red a tomato ketchup is, the greater the lycopene content," says Ishida.

As a powerful antioxidant, lycopene helps neutralize harmful free radicals, which are implicated in cancer, heart disease, macular degeneration and other age-related illnesses. The evidence for a benefit was strongest for cancers of the prostate, lung, and stomach. Data were also suggestive of a benefit for cancers of the pancreas, colon and rectum, esophagus, oral cavity, breast, and cervix.