Perfect Pairings: Healthy Fat & Carotenoids

Did you know that adding a healthy fat to your veggies can help you absorb the antioxidants even better?  That's because many of the nutrients (such as carotenoids) in veggies are fat-soluble, meaning that their absorption is pretty wimpy when there's no fat in the mix. 

So first, a quick science lesson.

Phytochemicals are the compounds found in plant foods that impart the tastes, aromas, colors, and other characteristics to the fruits and veggies we love.  They give garlic its pungent flavor, tomatoes their dark red color, and hot peppers their burning sensation. 

Carotenoids are among the best known phytochemicals and include the well-known beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.  They are the naturally occurring pigments that give color to many red, yellow, and orange fruits and vegetables along with many dark green veggies.  Carotenoids are found in everything from apricots, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, pumpkin, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, kale, and collard greens.  Besides making your fruits and veggies look pretty, they act as antioxidants in the body and protect your cells from damage, reduce the risk of cancer, and bolster the immune system.  For example, did you know that the carotenoid lycopene is the pigment that not only gives tomatoes, guava, papaya, pink grapefruit, and watermelon their red color but also protects you against cancers of the esophagus, prostrate, and stomach? 

Here's a quick and easy recipe filled with carotenoids from the carrot and red pepper and some healthy monounsaturated fat from almond butter to help you aborb them.

Carrot Salad with Almond Dressing

Serves 4

2 large carrots, peeled and shredded
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
3/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/2 cup raisins

Dressing

1/4 cup creamy almond butter
1 Tbsp lime juice
1.5 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari (wheat-free soy sauce)
1 tsp honey
Pinch red pepper flakes

1.  Mix carrots, bell pepper, cilantro and raisins in a large bowl.
2.  In a small bowl, whisk together almond butter, lime juice, low-sodium soy sauce, honey and red pepper flakes.
3.  Add dressing to carrot mixture and combine thoroughly.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving:  190 calories, 5 g protein, 27 g carbs, 9.5 g fat, 3 g fiber, 17 g sugar, 325 mg sodium