G'day G'day Folks,

While looking for a table we created here on ASD to ensure folks could
assess whether they were getting enough zeaxanthin to protect their
fine vision, I came across this post I made.  

Sometimes it takes a bit of effort to get information into a form that
is simple to use.  Hopefully it is worth it.

The idea is eat one serving from each of the four categories to supply
sufficient carotenoids, the yellow, orange or red stuff in fruit or
vegetables that protects important things like eyes and arteries.
If you have excess fat you will need more because some will dissolve
in the fat and be diverted away from where it is really needed.

Of course each category will contain some carotenoids from other
categories.  The assumption is that one will do the whole thing.

Category 1              Amount           Available
Lutein (6 mg)            to eat                carb
Item                                g                  g
Spinach, cooked              90                1
Spinach, raw                    30                0
Kale, cooked                    65                4
Kale, raw                          65                5
Turnip greens, cooked      70                1
Turnip greens, raw            55                2
Beet greens, cooked         70                 0
Beet greens, raw               40                 2
Broccoli, cooked            310                 5
Broccoli, raw                  265               11

Category 2                 Amount         Available
Lycopene (10 mg)        to eat           carb
Item                                g                 g
Tomatoes, raw               370               8
Tomatoes, canned          180               6
Tomato juice                  120               5
Tomato sauce                 125               7
Spaghetti sauce               125             16
Ketchup                           60              15

Category 3                 Amount    Available
Zeaxanthin (0.6 mg)     to eat     carb
Item                                  g              g
Corn, canned                   190           32
Corn, fresh                      125  
Corn, frozen                    125            21
Corn, on the cob              115            22
Cornmeal                          95             66
Orange peppers               180               5
Tangerines                       170             20
Mandarin oranges            190              22
Persimmons                     170             25

Category 4                  Amount    Available
Beta-carotene (11 mg)   to eat         carb
Item                                 g                 g
Apricots, raw                 105              10
Apricots, canned            130                6
Carrots, raw                   120                8
Carrots, cooked               80                4
Cantaloupe, raw              135              10
Pumpkin, raw                  115               7
Pumpkin, canned             120               6
Sweet potatoes, cooked   165             25

Hints on interpreting the table.  
 The smaller the number the better.
 Eat widely and you'll eat wisely.  

Original carotenoid data is from Table 2.
http://www.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/133/10/3117/

Grams of available carbohydrate were calculated from USDA figures.

My table has some shortcomings.  

No allowance has been made for differences in glycemic index.  The
carb content is so low for most greens that participants in trials are
unwilling to eat enough to get 50 grams of carbs. I assume most T1s
don't bother with glycemic index anyway when calculating insulin
dosage.

Interestingly, when vegetables are cooked they often lose some
carbohydrate but glycemic index increases markedly.  

A simple, viable, rough rule for T2s is to take available carb as what
ends up pushing up post prandial levels for cooked foods.
Use HALF or a THIRD the figure quoted for raw foods.  

Best wishes,