If you eat carrots and plums everyday you will look more attractive and healthier within a couple of months, researchers from Bristol and St. Andrews Universities, UK, have revealed in the journal Evolution & Human Behavior. Carrots and plums are rich in carotenoids which give your skin a yellow glow, making you appear more attractive and healthy.

Carotenoids belong to a group of compounds that include alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and beta- cryptoxanthin. They are converted to vitamin A and are referred to as provitamin A carotenoids. Carotenoids are an important source of dietary vitamin A, and are mainly found in fruits and vegetables, such as:

  • carrots
  • plums
  • mangoes
  • apricots
  • cantaloupe
  • sweet potatoes
  • kale
  • spinach
  • cilantro (coriander)
  • collard greens
  • fresh thyme
  • turnip greens
  • winter squash

According to study co-author, Ian Stephen, visible results can be clearly detected after just two months of plentiful carotenoid consumption.

The researchers believe that becoming more attractive might be a strong incentive to encourage young people to eat the fruit and veggies. Telling a young person that their fruit and vegetables may protect them from heart attacks and other chronic diseases in the distant future may not have such a relevant impact.

In an interview with The Daily Mail, Stephen said:

“What we can do is say – This is what you could look in a couple of months if you increased your fruit and veg intake.”

The researchers found that we are drawn to people whose skins have a yellow hue. In their study they asked 40 participants to describe 51 Scottish Caucasian faces, focusing particularly on attractiveness and how healthy they looked.

The authors concluded in the journal’s abstract:

“Together our studies link skin carotenoid coloration to both perceived health and healthy diet, establishing carotenoid coloration as a valid cue to human health which is perceptible in a way that is relevant to mate choice, as it is in bird and fish species.”

The link below refers to an abstract which describes three studies.

“Carotenoid and melanin pigment coloration affect perceived human health”
Ian D. Stephen, Vinet Coetzee, David I. Perrett
Evolution & Human Behavior – 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2010.09.003

Written by Christian Nordqvist