REFERENCE PAGE for lutein in foods

Vegetables/fruits LUTEIN content


Third column indicates grams/ounces needed to amount to 20 mg lutein, which is a recommended daily dietary intake. There are 16 oz. to the pound, therefore most of the items in the table are impractical sources of lutein, for instance it wouild take 2 1/2 pounds of broccoli eaten every day. But kale, swiss chard, spinach, collard and mustard greens are clear winners along with chicory and cress leaf if you can find them at the market.

Vegetable/Fruit mcg/100g * grams/oz =20 mg
Beet greens 7,700 260 / 10
Broccoli 1,800 1111 / 40
Brussels sprouts 1,300 1538 / 55
Celery 3,600 555 / 20
Chicory leaf, raw 10,300 194 / 7
Corn, yellow 780 2564 / 92
Cress leaf, raw 12,500 160 / 6
Endive 4,000 500 / 18
Green beans 740 2702 / 97
Greens, collard 16,300 123 / 5
Greens, mustard 9,900 202 / 8
Kale 21,900 91 / 3.25

Leek, raw 1,900 1052 / 38
Lettuce, iceberg 1,400 1428 / 51
Lettuce, leaf 1,800 1111 / 40
Lettuce, romaine 1,900 1052 / 38
Okra, raw 6,800 294 / 11
Peas, green 1,700 1176 / 42
Pepper,red 6,800 294 / 10.5
Pepper, yellow 770 2597 / 93
Pumpkin 1,500 1333 / 48
Spinach, cooked 12,600 158 / 7
Squash, summer 1,200 1666 / 60
Squash,winter 38 55555 / 1984
Swiss chard 11,000 181 / 6.5

*SOURCE-mcg/100g-Carotenoid Content of Fruits and Vegetables: An Evaluation of Analytical Data. Mangles AR, et al. JADA 93:284-296 (1993)

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