Feature Articles: Food, Fitness and
Eating Well
Beta-carotene
Melissa Bess, Nutrition and Health Education Specialist, Camden County, University of Missouri Extension and edited by Jessica Kovarik, RD, LD, Extension Associate, University of Missouri Extension
Fall is upon us with many colorful fruits and vegetables in season during this time of year. The many different colors of fruits and vegetables indicate different phytonutrients. Each phytonutrients enhances health in a different way. Eating a rainbow of colors through a variety of fruits and vegetables will ensure you are getting different phytonutrients. One phytonutrient commonly seen in fall fruits and vegetables is beta-carotene.
Beta-carotene is an orange and yellow pigment that can be
converted to a form of vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A
plays an important role in vision and preventing night
blindness. It also promotes bone growth, reproduction, and
cell division. In addition, vitamin A helps protect cells
from damaging free radicals and enhances the function of the
immune system. Beta-carotene and Vitamin A are antioxidants
and can help decrease the risk for chronic diseases, such as
heart disease and cancer.
Some foods that contain beta-carotene include: sweet
potatoes, carrots, winter squash, pumpkin, apricots,
peaches, cantaloupe, kale, spinach, turnip greens, and
collard greens. Vitamin A can come from animal foods as
well. Sources include liver, milk, cheese, margarine,
fortified breakfast cereals, and egg substitutes.
Vitamin A in foods is listed on most food labels. If you
aren’t sure how much vitamin A a food has, be a
nutrition-savvy consumer and read the Nutrition Facts Label!
Dietary supplements, such as a multivitamin, may help
provide extra vitamin A if one is lacking in that nutrient.
However, too much vitamin A can be toxic in the body because
the body can store some vitamin A. Getting vitamin A and
beta-carotene from foods is the best choice.
A healthy eating plan that includes lots of colorful fruits
and vegetables can help lower the risk for many diseases and
boost health. Remember to include a rainbow of color!
For more information contact contact Melissa Bess at 573-346-2644 or email at bessmm@missouri.edu.
Last update: Wednesday, January 30, 2008
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