Choosing to increase the amount of the fruit and vegetables richest in carotenoids is important for long-term preventative health among women. While foods like spinach, tomatoes and carrots are certainly part of a healthy diet, there are opportunities for women to choose a wider variety of produce. For example, while carrots are among the top food sources of alpha and beta-carotenes, cooked pumpkin is also a concentrated food source of not only those carotenes, but of beta-cryptoxanthin. However, based on the current data analysis, cooked pumpkin accounts for less than 3% of total intake of these carotenoids among American women.

"It's concerning that so many American women lack a variety of carotenoid-rich foods in their regular diets," says Amy Hendel, Nutrilite's Phytonutrient Coach. "By selecting the most carotenoid-rich produce choices, women can purposefully increase their carotenoid and phytonutrient intakes which can impact health significantly as they age."

Hendel, a registered physician assistant and health/wellness expert, offers these easy substitutions to "power up" your plate and add new flavors to your meal plan:

Green: A serving of cooked kale provides triple the amount of lutein/zeaxanthin as a serving of raw spinach. Red: A serving of guava delivers more than one and a half times the lycopene in a raw tomato. Yellow/Orange: A serving of sweet potatoes has nearly double the beta-carotene as a serving of carrots. A serving of carrots delivers four times the amount of alpha-carotene as a serving of winter squash. A serving of fresh papaya has roughly 10 times the beta-cryptoxanthin found in an orange.

Hendel adds, a good goal for most individuals is to consume 10 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, with an emphasis on quality, not just quantity. If this proves challenging, consider a natural, plant-based dietary supplement which includes phytonutrients such as carotenoids.

"Just remember, small changes in the diet each day can add up to powerful changes over time. Older women may eat more carotenoids, but women of all ages are falling short. Diet is a lifetime of exposure and best we teach younger women how to eat right, up those carotenoids, and exercise more from the beginning," says Hendel.

To see whether they have a "phytonutrient gap," women can check out the Daily Phytonutrient Snapshot at www.nutrilite/color. Women will also find helpful online tools like the Phytonutrient Spectrum which brings to life the colors, health benefits and fruits and vegetables associated with select phytonutrients, including the carotenoids.

Source: Weber Shandwick Worldwide