Top 10 Food Sources of Beta Carotene: The Immune Booster

After organ meats, which have as much as 9,000 mg of vitamin A (along with a healthy dose of yuck!) the reliable carrot is the No. 1 source of this essential nutrient. And its vitamin A comes in the form of beta carotene, the much celebrated antioxidant. (It's also a top source of lycopene, a cancer-fighting phytonutrient.)

Whether you like to eat or drink your carrots, this root vegetable is an excellent source of vitamin A. A three-quarter cup of carrot juice has 1,692 mg of the nutrient and 71 calories. Half a cup of cooked carrots has 671 mg of vitamin A and just 27 calories. But be wary! Carrots are on the dirty dozen list of foods with the most pesticide residue, so buy organic when you can.

Carrot Recipes
Curry Carrot Soup with Wasabi Cream
Spicy Moroccan Carrot Dip with Whole Wheat Pita Chips
Carrot Soup with Cucumber Pistachio Relish
Chickpea Salad with Carrots, Walnuts and French Feta
Lo Mein with Tofu, Snow Peas and Carrots
Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Baby Carrots and Pearl Onions
Baked Lentils with Pickled Carrots and Onions

If you shy away from the dessert tray, here’s a reason to eat more pumpkin pie! Half a cup of canned pumpkin has 953 mg of vitamin A and only 42 calories. And that vitamin A comes in the form of beta carotene.

Try Alisa Smith’s No Spice Pumpkin Pie, or for something beyond pie, check out Ginger Pumpkin Flan.

For a more savory option, try Cream of Pumpkin Soup Topped with Curried Pecans or Pumpkin Spice Muffins.

One medium sweet potato has 1,096 mg of vitamin A (in the form of beta carotene) and 103 calories – just don't forget to eat the skin too!

Eat sweet potatoes baked, or try them in these recipes:

Roasted Spiced Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Potato Casserole
Sweet Potato Fries
Curried Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup
Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew
Smoky Root Vegetable Gratin
Indian Lentil-Vegetable Stew

It may not have the yellow or orange color that's the hallmark of the other big beta carotene sources, but one half cup of spinach offers a healthy 573 mg of vitamin A and only 30 calories.

While you can always sauté some spinach or add it to your salad, try some of these recipes for a healthy twist:
Japanese Spinach Soup
Pancakes with Spinach Filling
Spinach Strata
Creamy Rigatoni with Spinach
Grapefruit and Spinach Salad
Florentine Frittata

These leafy greens have 489 mg of vitamin A, plenty of beta carotene, and just 31 calories in one half a cup.

Recipes:
Collard Greens with Bacon and Cider Vinegar
Southern Vegetable Saute
BBQ Chicken with Collard Greens and Crushed Sweet Potato
Red Bean and Collard Gumbo
Hot Collard Slaw
Apple Cider Braised Greens

Another leafy vegetable high in beta carotene/ vitamin A, kale has 478 mg of the nutrient and 20 calories per half cup serving.

Recipes:
Sauteed Kale with Garlic and Red Onions
Chickpea, Kale and Tomato Salad
Peasant-Style Potato and Kale Soup
Curly Kale Soup

The greens on this common root vegetable are just as edible as they are nutritious. Half a cup of turnip greens have 441 mg of vitamin A (in the form of beta carotene), 851 μg of vitamin K and just 24 calories -- and with vitamin C, folate and calcium as well, they're far more nutritious than the turnip itself. Try young leaves as an accent to a salad, or boil twice, replacing the water in between, to serve as a side dish. Also look for mustard and dandelion greens for a similar leafy health boost.

Beet greens are a top source of several nutrients, with 276 mg of Vitamin A (in the form of beta carotene), 697 μg of vitamin K, 655 mg of potassium and just 19 calories per half a cup. Like turnip greens, you can find these at your local farmers' market (or you can grow them yourself). Try substituting this superfood in recipes for collards.

Recipes:
Beet Greens with Bacon and Cider Vinegar
Southern Vegetable Sauté
BBQ Chicken with Beet Greens and Crushed Sweet Potato
Red Bean and Beet Green Gumbo
Hot Beet Green Slaw
Apple Cider Braised Greens

Packed with almost as much vitamin A as turnip and beet greens -- but far more palatable to most casual eaters -- winter squash is a delicious source of nutritious beta carotene.

Recipes:
Squash Stuffed with Rutabaga and Pecans
Baked Acorn Squash with Red Quinoa and Pumpkin Seed Stuffing
Simple Roasted Acorn Squash
Butternut Squash Soup
Butternut Squash-Chestnut Soup with Balsamic Caramelized Pears
Summer Squash Tian
Squash Blossom Fritters
Grilled Vegetable Tostadas and Fresh Salsa
Fresh Squash Pizza
Roasted Butternut Squash and Pear Soup
Winter Squash Casserole
Crudites with Pumpkin Sage Pate
Rosemary-Roasted Winter Root Vegetables
Root Cellar Salad
Chicken Soup to Soothe Your Soul
Oven-Roasted Vegetables
Vegetable Nicoise with Tofu
Pumpkin Tar with Pecan Crust

Cabbage, especially Chinese pak-choi, is another great source of beta carotene (also check out goji berries.

Recipes:
Asian Style Cabbage Rolls
Cole Slaw with Creamy Mustard-Ginger Vinaigrette
Cabbage and Walnut Salad
Asian Coleslaw