What Is Beta Carotene

Beta-carotene is an organic compound that is naturally found in plants and serves as an accessory to photosynthesis. It is a strongly colored, red-orange pigment that is responsible for coloring the vegetables. Some of the good sources of beta-carotene include dark green and orange-yellow vegetables, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, kale, winter squash, spinach, broccoli, romaine lettuce, green turnip, fresh thyme, cilantro, cantaloupe and green peppers. It is also found in fruits like mango, melon, papaya, apricots and pumpkins. The compound is also available in red-orange colored dry foliage and the yellow color in milk fat, butter and egg yolks. Beta-carotene, along with the alpha and gamma, is considered a pro-vitamin, as all three can be converted to active vitamin A. Read on further to know about the benefits of consuming beta carotene.