We wanted to share some of our favorite tomato juice recipes because juice is one of healthiest juices to drink. Tomato juice is loaded with lycopene. Studies have shown that people who eat diets high in lycopene-rich foods are at a lower risk of developing cancer and heart disease.
Tomato Juice and Lycopene
Lycopene is a carotenoid found in foods such as tomatoes, watermelon, and grapefruit. Watermelon and tomatoes are the two riches sources of lycopene, and tomatoes represent the most people get their lycopene from ketchup and tomato/pasta sauces.
Numerous well-designed studies have shown that people who consume a diet high in lycopene-rich foods are less likely to die of cancer and heart attacks.
Is it Better to Drink Cooked or Raw Tomato Juice?
Although raw juices are almost always better than cooked juices, some studies have shown that the lycopene content in cooked or pasturized tomato juice is higher than the lycopene content found in raw juice.
Scientific American reports:
One 2002 study he did (published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry) found that cooking actually boosts the amount of lycopene in tomatoes. He tells ScientificAmerican.com that the level of one type of lycopene, cis-lycopene, in tomatoes rose 35 percent after he cooked them for 30 minutes at 190.4 degrees Fahrenheit (88 degrees Celsius). The reason, he says: the heat breaks down the plants’ thick cell walls and aids the body’s uptake of some nutrients that are bound to those cell walls.
One might suspect that juicing breaks down the the plants walls in the same way that cooking the juice does, but the jury is still out.
The good news is that you can drink raw or cooked tomato juice.
Raw or Cooked: The Tomato Juice Recipes
To make cooked juice, buy some tomato paste. Tomato paste is readily available at nearly every grocery story. But be sure to read the label. The ingredients should say: Tomatoes. That’s in. Don’t buy tomato paste if it contains any added sugar or other fillers or sweeteners.
You can add your favorite spices to our juice. Black pepper is delicious when added to tomato juice. (Check out: Spices to add to your Juice.)
Straight tomato juice (cooked)
- Combine 2-3 tablespoons of tomato paste with 8-16 ounces of water in a blender such as a Vitamix or BlendTec.
- Press and hold the pulse button the blender for a few seconds.
- Blend until smooth.
Tomato-carrot juice (cooked)
- Juice one to two pounds of carrots. (This should yield betwen 8 and 16 ounces of pure carrot juice.
- Combine 2-3 tablespoons of tomato paste with your carrot juice into a blender like a Vitamin or BlendTec.
- Press and hold the pulse button the blender for a few seconds.
- Blend until smooth.
Real V8 Juice Juice (cooked)
- Add some carrots, cucumbers, kale, spinach, collard greens, celery, and carrots. (Check out our V8 Recipes.)
- Mix your V8 juice with the tomato paste.
- As noted above, you can pulse the juice and tomato paste together in a blender. Or just mix vigorously with a spoon.
Straight tomato juice (raw)
- Juice 5 tomatoes in an Omega juicer and enjoy.
- Note: If you use a Breville juicer or Consumer Reports Best Buy juicer, select very firm tomatoes from the grocery story. Otherwise you won’t get much juice out of your tomatoes.
Tomato carrot juice (raw)
- Juice 4-8 carrots and 3-5 tomatoes in an Omega juicer and enjoy.
V8 Juice (raw)
Get creative. Add in your favorite vegetables to make a V8 juice fresh in your own kitchen. Check out these V8 juice recipes.
Conclusion
How you drink tomato juice is less important than that you drink tomato juice. You can use our tomato juice recipes to make raw or cooked tomato juices. As long as you’re juicing, you’re giving your body the nutrients it needs to fight cancer and heart disease and to improve your skin quality.
Want more lycopene? Try out these watermelon juice recipes.