Vegetable conundrum

[Jace]

Recently I've noticed that my skin has taken on a slight yellowish tint so I mentioned it to my doctor during my yearly physical. The test results just came back and it would seem my beta-carotene levels are through the roof! It's not dangerous, it just leaves me with a condition the doc called carotenemia...the skin takes on a light yellowish-orange tint due to excessive levels of beta-carotene in the blood stream.

Now, here's the problem. It's not bad at the moment because I have a tan and it's barely noticeable. However, when winter sets in and the tan fades my skin is going to be bright yellow leaving me looking like I have jaundice or hepatitis. My only option is to cut back dramatically on yellow/orange and deep green vegetables so my beta-carotene levels return to normal. After looking in the produce department of my supermarket I can't find a damned thing that isn't one of those colors! I don't eat a lot of meat so veggies make up most of my diet. If I cut back on veggies I'll be eating next to nothing

Any suggestions on vegetables (salad veggies especially) that aren't in the above categories?

Thanks a bunch!

~Far la bella figura!

[TBW]

Wow - guess that's a rare case of too much of a good thing. Sounds like you're going to be pretty limited in the produce department. All I could think of was cauliflower, radishes, turnips, and mushrooms. I think you may have to do some heavy internet research to find out the actual amount of beta-carotene or vitamin A in some veggies. I would think the lighter the green the lower the amount? Maybe cabbage, celery, and cucumbers would be in a lower range and maybe yellow squash. Also, I'd look into eggplant (although it may be through the roof). Do you have a specialty store that might carry some different produce like water chesnuts or hearts of palm (although I don't know what the carb count on those would be). Also, my understanding is that you need to consume fat at the same time for the beta carotene to be fully converted in your body. Maybe having your vegetables at a seperate meal from your source of fat would help. I truly don't know, but maybe it's worthing checking some medical sites or checking with your doctor.


Hope things work out and if all else fails, you can tell everyone it's your homage to autmn colors.

[not2late]

Originally Posted by Jace

Recently I've noticed that my skin has taken on a slight yellowish tint so I mentioned it to my doctor during my yearly physical. The test results just came back and it would seem my beta-carotene levels are through the roof! It's not dangerous, it just leaves me with a condition the doc called carotenemia...the skin takes on a light yellowish-orange tint due to excessive levels of beta-carotene in the blood stream.

Now, here's the problem. It's not bad at the moment because I have a tan and it's barely noticeable. However, when winter sets in and the tan fades my skin is going to be bright yellow leaving me looking like I have jaundice or hepatitis. My only option is to cut back dramatically on yellow/orange and deep green vegetables so my beta-carotene levels return to normal. After looking in the produce department of my supermarket I can't find a damned thing that isn't one of those colors! I don't eat a lot of meat so veggies make up most of my diet. If I cut back on veggies I'll be eating next to nothing

Any suggestions on vegetables (salad veggies especially) that aren't in the above categories?

Thanks a bunch!

~Far la bella figura!

Where are you in your Atkins?

[Oh.2.B.Fit]

I was going to say a lot of the same things as Tracey.
Mushrooms
turnips
radishes
jicama (so yummy)
cucumbers
cauliflower
celery

I'm saying the same things she just did...lol.
Hope it helps though

[zencyn]

My babies always got that - I fed them lots of carrots and sweet potatoes I went away fairly quickly and even though they were all fair skinned it was never that noticable - mainly around the nose.

Some veggies I might suggest would be:
zucchini
spaghetti squash
sprouts
cucumber
jicama
turnips
mushrooms
cauliflower
summer squash, maybe
wax beans?

[garwil]

Just move to LA, nobody will notice