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My husband swears by them. At least since he heard they're good for his prostate.  I've never much liked them, even though I grew up in an Italian family and they were on the table just about every night. We're talking, of course, about tomatoes. A new study has found that the tomato, often  referred to as a "functional food," prevents chronic disease and delivers other health benefits, due to beneficial phytochemicals such as lycopene, according to Medical News Daily. The site notes that, only 200 years ago it was thought to be poisonous in the U.S., probably because the plant belongs to the nightshade family, of which some species are truly poisonous. "One medium tomato (approximately 123 grams) provides 22 calories, 0 grams of fat, 5 grams of  carbohydrate   (including 1 gram of fiber and 3 grams of sugar) and 1 gram of protein," the Web site reports.  Tomatoes are a rich source of vitamins A and C and folic acid and contain a wide array of b...

I've always believed this, but my husband, the atheist, laughs at me. I just dismiss his cynicism but a new study has proved me right: participants normally prone to depression who had strong religious or spiritual beliefs had thicker brain cortices than others, guarding them against developing the illness, according to newswise.com. " The relatively thicker cortex was found in precisely the same regions of the brain that had otherwise shown thinning in people at high risk for depression," the Web site reports. It sort of bears out my hypothesis that those who have a rich spiritual life are protected, in some ways, against life's hard knocks.  Not that they don't still happen -- I've survived cancer twice -- but you somehow get through it and maybe suffer less, feeling shielded from, or cared for,by a force greater than yourself. Some people even believe religion or spirituality cured them, or made their disease less serious. I'm not there yet!   ...