Photo courtesy of Microsoft Clipart
If you use your dinner plate as a color palate and have a little of every color on it, you're bound to have some carotenoid rich foods on the plate. Carotenoids are color pigments that give the orange color to carrots, the yellow to apricots and the red to tomatoes. There are over 600 different carotenoids but the type you'll find most often on the dinner table are beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, lycopene, gamma-carotene, lutein, astaxathin, zeaxanthin and beta-crpytoxanthin.
A Precursor to Vitamin A
Carotenoid rich foods frequently act as precursors to vitamin A. In fact, 50 of the known carotenoids are provitamin A compounds. That simply means that your body converts the compound into vitamin A in the form of retinol. A few of the common provitamin A carotenoids include beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin and alpha-carotene.
Most people have heard of beta-carotene and few of the other carotenoids. Beta-carotene gives plants a color that normally ranges from yellow to orange, depending on what phytonutrients blend with it. Beta-carotene is one of the pro-vitamins and can prevent vitamin A deficiency. It's typically one of the most frequently consumed carotenoids. If you want food high in beta-carotene, carrots are a good source.
Too Much Vitamin A
You can consume too much vitamin A, since the body stores excess in fat cells. The results are similar to a vitamin A deficiency, which can lead to decreased resistance to infections, blurred vision, headaches, dry hair, and dry skin. However, it's unlikely you'll ever suffer from toxicity if you take it in the form of beta-carotene from foods. Instead, you'll probably turn to a yellowish orange first, with the change in color normally occurring on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
Don't worry, ceasing consumption for a while or lowering the number of beta-carotene containing foods you consume reverses you back to your normal color. If you want beta-carotene, carrots provide an abundant amount.
Lycopene Benefits
Carotenoid rich foods don't have to be provitamin A foods, other carotenoids are also beneficial even if they don't become vitamin A. Lycopene, for instance, is a powerful antioxidant and research shows there's a potential it may prevent cataracts, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis. Since the activity of antioxidants is to reduce or prevent oxidative stress, there may be some truth to the tale that lycopene prevents aging. You'll find lycopene in tomatoes. Unlike other nutrients, cooking doesn't destroy it, but improves the availability of the nutrient.
Most carotenoid rich foods don't fare as well as the tomato. In fact, most of them lose much of the carotenoid value through cooking. A fresh carrot may have the full amount but canned or cooked carrots may contain about 2/3rds of the fresh amount.
Krill, Shrimp, and Shellfish
Not all carotenoids are exclusively in vegetables and fruits, but aside from the aphid, the only animal to make its own carotenoid, the origination is in plants. Astaxanthin is found in red fruits and vegetables such as red bell peppers, but it's also found in algae. Krill, shrimp and other shellfish then consume the algae, and it enters into the animal kingdom. Finally, people consume some of those shellfish to reap the benefit of the astaxanthin. You may find it interesting that flamingos also eat the algae and shellfish. It's the reason they turn pink. In captivity, the caregivers feed the flamingos extra carotenoids to keep their plumage a bright pink. (Don't buy blush, just eat a passel of krill and see what happens.)
Boosts the Immune System
Carotenoid rich foods are responsible for boosting the immune system, due to the high antioxidant activity, stimulating cell communication, aiding in reproduction, preventing heart disease, preventing cancer and lowering the risk of cataracts.
