Natural pigments

  • yellow
  • orange
  • red

In Foods

 Colour  Avoid   Eat More 
 Yellow

 Yellow beans 

 Corn (seed)

 Yellow peppers 
 Orange

 

 Oranges juice (sugar)

 


 Pumpkin seeds

 Carrots (glucose OK)

 Orange skin (zest)
     eat the whole wedge
     skin included, try it

 Marmalade, citrus skins

 Pumpkin meat (no seeds)

 Red

 Strawberries (seeds)

 Red beans (seed)

 Tomatoes
     strained
     no seeds 

 Red peppers

 Combinations 

 

  Many More  

 Canaries
 Flaminogo
 Daffodils
 .....

 Shrimp
 Lobster
 Salmon
 .....

 

 Animals cannot make these pigments
 Humans get them from

  • animals that eat pigmented plants
  • eating pigmented plants

These pigments are

  • defense against diseases
  • protection from heat

    • plants need them for the hot summer temperatures
    • high in lungs to protect from heat such as a sauna or fever
    • protects the structure from destruction during
  • heat exposure
    • fever
  • kills germs, including Covid-19
  • protects lungs during infections
  • released when burned
    • high in rubber to give the black smoke
    • burning molecules releases them
    • these pigments are key in exhaust, burning

Pigments decline as we age:

  • loss of hair color
  • pale skin when sick

moving to more technical

  • Isoprene - the bases of these pigments
    • carotinoids are based on isoprenes
  • learn about the haze over cities
    • why global warming is not actually carbon dioxide
  • Isoprene - (inorganic)
    • emissions per year
  • CO2 - carbon dioxide  (organic)
    • emissions per year

A source of haze

Scientists identify how a hydrocarbon commonly emitted by plants is converted to light-scattering aerosols

By Sid Perkins
AUGUST 6, 2009 AT 2:25 PM

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Sid Perkins is a freelance science writer based in Crossville, Tenn.