Eat plenty of sun-colored fruits and vegetables. They owe their color to carotenoids - plant pigments that play an invaluable role in protecting your he alth.
Carotenoidsasantioxidantsprotect plants from the harmful effects of UV rays. They also play a similar, protective role in the human body.
Read: Cleansing fruit diet
Who should eat fruits and vegetables rich in carotenoids?
If you live in a large, smoky city …
Carotenoids are natural antioxidants, have the ability to scavenge free radicals generated in our environment, e.g. in contaminated air, cigarette smoke, highly processed food or as a result of solar radiation .
- If you want to keep your beauty …
People whose cell walls are "stuffed with carotenoids" stay young for much longer than those whose carotenoid concentration is lower.deficiency of vitamin Aresults in worse appearance of hair, nails and skin.
Read: Advantages of citrus fruits
- You care about maintaining good eyesight …
Vitamin A, the source of which are carotenoids, is essential in the process of vision because it is a component of rhodopsin - the photosensitive pigment of the retina.
- You want your child to grow up he althy …
Vitamin A, the source of which are carotenoids, interacts with the growth hormone. Its absence may inhibit the child's growth. There is a reason why the mother's first food is colostrum - its strong yellow color is the result of a high concentration of carotenoids.
ImportantCarotenoids can protect us against:
- cardiovascular diseases
- cancer
- age-related diseases (cataracts, dementia).
In which fruits and vegetables to look for carotenoids?
- In carrots - the richest source of beta-carotene among fruits and vegetables, which is provitamin A with the highest activity.
- In tomatoes - a rich source of lycopene - this carotenoid becomes more digestible when tomatoes are processed into juice.
- In oranges - one orange a day or 100 ml of orange juice will help in the functioning of the whole body, cleanse the blood, and act as an internal remedydisinfecting, toning and strengthening.
Carotenoids, like other phytonutrients, cannot be accumulated in the human body, therefore they should be systematically supplied with food. In the form of fresh fruit and vegetables or fruit juices made on their basis.
Why choose fruit juice?
- Juices with fruit particles, pure and cloudy, unlike clear juices, are a rich source of carotenoids. Carotenoids as water-insoluble compounds are removed in the production of clarified juices.
- Carotenoids found in the juice are readily available throughout the year.