How much is too much...squash?

kronesa

When my son was little, his favorite veggies were squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots. So, that's what I fed him. Looking back on some pictures of him during his orange-veggie phase, he had an orange nose! The reason that I'm posting this, though, is that I am in love with the fall squashes. They're delicious, low cal, full of vitamins, filling, and delicious! As a result of these wonderful things, I've been eating a lot of squash and have recently become concerned that I'm going to turn orange. I know this may sound silly, but I'm wondering if anyone has any input on this...I don't want to end up looking like an Oompa Loompa...So, how much is too much? Anyone know? Thank you!

vsyates

I don't know how much is too much but I used to work with a guy whose fingers actually started turning orange. He was on a kick to lose weight and ate a LOT of carrots. This didn't happen overnight, but one day he looked at his hands and realized that his fingers were orange

kyle4jem

Have a look at the following:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta-Carotene#Sources_in_the_diet

The orange colour in these veggies is associated to beta-carotene (which is also used as a colourant for other foodstuffs and as a tanning agent)

The orange tint is harmless (and I wouldn't worry about the other somewhat alarmist info in the wiki-page) but it's maybe best to limit portions of these veg to the recommended values listed.

Guess if you're eating all three orange veggies... might be best to substitue a green one now and again

jo_marnes

I love squash! I eat it every day.

Just keep eating until you turn orange.... and then let me know when to stop! hahaha