So can you turn orange from too many carotene-containing foods? page

[Sabre]

Like sweet potato, and carrots. I know anecdotally that people do turn into the oompa loompa from chugging back gallons of carrot juice. What about daily consumption of sweet potatoes--the orange-coloured variety? I did a search but couldn't find anything.

[jfreaksho]

Sunshine is the cure for that, supposedly. I guess carotene breaks down into melanin in your skin when exposed to sunlight.

The only time I've ever heard a believable story about it was a submariner taking "tanning" pills whilst underwater for a time. Extreme doses of carotene - sunlight = orange skin.

[sakura_girl]

I ate a few lbs of kabocha squash daily for 2 months straight back in college, and I did turn more of an orange hue. My mom became concerned when she saw my orange fingers, so I stopped for a few weeks and my skin turned back to normal. Probably would be similar to sweet potato in that regard?

[zoebird]

Yes, and it's particularly the case if you don't convert the beta carotene into vit A efficiently. My husband turned orange back in the day. It wasn't all the way, it was just showing up in the various creases of his body (jaw line/neck, for example). And I was like "dude, you are orange." So he ate far less and went back to a normal color.

[JamesS]

Yes, the condition is called carotenosis and can give the skin a yellowish or orangish cast.

[Damiana]

I ate a few lbs of kabocha squash daily for 2 months straight back in college, and I did turn more of an orange hue. My mom became concerned when she saw my orange fingers, so I stopped for a few weeks and my skin turned back to normal. Probably would be similar to sweet potato in that regard?

Oh, I am so happy to meet a fellow lover of kabocha squash. I stil eat a couple pounds daily, I love the stuff, but I am Asian living in southern Cali, getting a lot of sunshine and I just look healthy, with a (literally) golden tan. I don't think there are any terrible side effects of too much beta carotene besides the change in skin tone, though, unless you are completely overdoing it and eating nothing but carrots.

[palebluedots]

Yes, a co-worker of mine has orange tinted skin, and every time I see her, she's munching on carrots. I think that's all she eats. It's not a good look at all.

[sakura_girl]

Oh, I am so happy to meet a fellow lover of kabocha squash. I stil eat a couple pounds daily, I love the stuff, but I am Asian living in southern Cali, getting a lot of sunshine and I just look healthy, with a (literally) golden tan. I don't think there are any terrible side effects of too much beta carotene besides the change in skin tone, though, unless you are completely overdoing it and eating nothing but carrots.

Haha my tan faded when it was winter, and so when I went back home for the holidays in the winter, my orange-ness was more noticeable. I still enjoy some kabocha every now and then, but I don't think I'll ever go back to eating so much at once XD

[2ndChance]

I don't have a link, but I read about a study where they showed participants photos of members of the opposite sex. The men/women in the photos had either spent a lot of time in the sun or eaten lots of orange veggies over a period of time before having their pictures taken. The participants were asked to rate the photos based on attractiveness, and it found that orange veggie-eaters were generally considered more attractive than sun-bathers.

Here's something similar, maybe this was is it:

The Secret To Glowing (Yellow) Skin? Eat Your Fruits And Veggies : The Salt : NPR

There's this, too: Does Eating Fruits and Veggies Make Us More Attractive? - ABC News

So eat up! Worry not about the orange tint of your skin-- it apparently makes you irresistible.

[Drumroll]

Would eggs be on that list? Because they contain a fair amount of beta-carotene, especially those from pasture-raised chickens.

I've been eating a BOATLOAD of eggs and not turning orange myself.