By Rangga Teguh Pratama
Beta-carotene is part of a family of more than six hundred different carotenoids. They give vibrant color to carrots, red peppers, sweet potatoes, yams, apricots, cantaloupes, mangoes, pumpkins, and many other foods with similar hues. Kale and spinach are rich in beta-carotene, too, although the green of chlorophyll hides its pale orange color. Beta-carotene knocks out free radicals and strengthens special white blood cells called natural killer cells, which seek out and destroy cancer cells.
How much of these protective foods do we need? With five servings a day of vegetables and fruits, you'll get a supply of about 800 to 1,000 micrograms of beta-carotene. You'll want to get at least this much each day. To see whether your diet meets this lower limit, jot down the vegetables and fruits you ate yesterday. Then look at the table on pages 50-53 and add up your intake of beta-carotene. It's smart to boost your intake even higher, to 30,000 micrograms or more of beta-carotene, by regularly including the richest sources in your diet.
Here are three different ways to get 30,000 micrograms of beta-carotene:
- Two large carrots
- one cup of baked yam or sweet potato, one cup of kale, and a peach
- A wedge of cantaloupe, 8 ounces of carrot juice, plus a half cup of cooked pumpkin.
Research has shown that a daily intake of five servings of vegetables and fruit would eliminate at least one in five cases of cancer, even if the rest of the diet was not changed at all. A typical serving means 1 cup of fruit or vegetables, a single medium-sized vegetable (carrot, apple, and tomato), 1 cup of salad, or 1 cup of juice. If your day's intake doesn't include five of these foods, here are examples to get you started.
Beta-carotene is part of a family of more than six hundred different carotenoids. They give vibrant color to carrots, red peppers, sweet potatoes, yams, apricots, cantaloupes, mangoes, pumpkins, and many other foods with similar hues. Kale and spinach are rich in beta-carotene, too, although the green of chlorophyll hides its pale orange color. Beta-carotene knocks out free radicals and strengthens special white blood cells called natural killer cells, which seek out and destroy cancer cells.
How much of these protective foods do we need? With five servings a day of vegetables and fruits, you'll get a supply of about 800 to 1,000 micrograms of beta-carotene. You'll want to get at least this much each day. To see whether your diet meets this lower limit, jot down the vegetables and fruits you ate yesterday. Then look at the table on pages 50-53 and add up your intake of beta-carotene. It's smart to boost your intake even higher, to 30,000 micrograms or more of beta-carotene, by regularly including the richest sources in your diet.
Here are three different ways to get 30,000 micrograms of beta-carotene:
- Two large carrots
- one cup of baked yam or sweet potato, one cup of kale, and a peach
- A wedge of cantaloupe, 8 ounces of carrot juice, plus a half cup of cooked pumpkin.
Research has shown that a daily intake of five servings of vegetables and fruit would eliminate at least one in five cases of cancer, even if the rest of the diet was not changed at all. A typical serving means 1 cup of fruit or vegetables, a single medium-sized vegetable (carrot, apple, and tomato), 1 cup of salad, or 1 cup of juice. If your day's intake doesn't include five of these foods, here are examples to get you started.
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