Tomato paste is the essence of tomatoes in concentrated form. Just a tablespoon of tomato paste is a good source of antioxidants and has 3 to 6 percent of your recommended daily value of iron, potassium and B vitamins.

Tomatoes are the best natural source of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that belongs to the vitamin A family. It’s often in the news for its potential to prevent prostate cancer, but research has produced mixed results, according to a review in November 2011 in the "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews." A study published in the October 2012 issue of the journal “Neurology” reported that men who ate more lycopene had a lower risk of strokes. Guidelines for daily consumption of lycopene haven’t been established, but eating about 4 to 8 milligrams daily is probably enough to produce health benefits. You’ll get 4.6 milligrams of lycopene in 1 tablespoon of tomato paste.