List of Alpha Carotene Foods - Food and Health Communications

Frozen carrots	5542
Pumpkin	4795
Raw carrots	4649
Baby carrots	4425
Boiled carrots	4109
Canned carrots	3470
Butternut squash	1130
Hubbard squash	820
Grape leaves, canned	629
Babyfood squash	308
Green beans frozen	292
Fiddle head fern greens	270
Collards raw	238
Baked beans	147
Tomatoes ripe	112
Collards boiled	90
Cilantro	72
Cornmeal	63
Red pepper	62
Napa cabbage	49
Swiss chard	49
Banana pepper	39
Passion fruit	35
Corn canned	33
Peas frozen	33
Apples with skin	30
Tomato paste	29
Avocados	28
Cherries raw	28
Okra	28
Melon cantaloupe	27
Pepper green	22
Corn frozen	18
Hot pepper	18
Mangos	17
Melon crenshaw	15
Pummelos	14
Asparagus	12
Raspberries	12
Bananas	5
Strawberries	5
Orange juice	2

From: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/car98/car_tble.pdf
Researchers from the Center for Disease control found that foods that are high in alpha-carotene (AC), may help lower the risk for heart disease and cancer and increase longevity. Supplements are NOT proven to do the same thing so you have to eat your veggies. Here is a list of the most common, heart healthy versions of these items from the USDA (units per 100g of food).
Here are 3 things we learned:
Vegetable soups that contain carrots are usually high in AC so if you insist on eating out it may be better to choose vegetable soup more often and hamburgers or deli sandwiches less often.
Think carrots in the summer and pumpkin or butternut squash in the winter.
Not all winter squash is the same - for example, although acorn squash is a powerhouse and contains beta carotene, it is not high in AC. This is also true for sweet potatoes.

Judy Doherty

Judy’s passion for cooking began with helping her grandmother make raisin oatmeal for breakfast. From there she earned her first food service job at 15, was accepted to the world-famous Culinary Institute of America at 18 (where she graduated second in her class), and went on to the Fachschule Richemont in Switzerland where she focused on pastry arts and baking. After a decade in food service for Hyatt Hotels, Judy launched Food and Health Communications to focus on flavor and health. She graduated with Summa Cum Laude distinction from Johnson and Wales University with a BS in Culinary Art, holds a master’s degree in Food Business from the Culinary Institute of America, 2 art certificates from UC Berkeley Extension, and runs a food photography studio where her love is creating fun recipes.

Judy received The Culinary Institute of America’s Pro Chef II certification, the American Culinary Federation Bronze Medal, Gold Medal, and ACF Chef of the Year. Her enthusiasm for eating nutritiously and deliciously leads her to constantly innovate and use the latest in nutritional science and Dietary Guidelines to guide her creativity, from putting new twists on fajitas to adapting Italian brownies to include ingredients like toasted nuts and cooked honey. Judy’s publishing company, Food and Health Communications, is dedicated to her vision that everyone can make food that tastes as good as it is for you.