LycopeneNutrition library
Lycopene
Lycopene, the red carotenoid in tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit and guava. An antioxidant, not a vitamin; it is not converted to vitamin A and has no recommended intake. Cooking tomatoes with a little fat makes it far more available than eating them raw.
Trimester focus
| Stage | For the mother | For the baby |
|---|---|---|
| First trimester | No target. Lycopene-rich foods are worth eating for their vitamin C, potassium and folate rather than for the lycopene itself. | No established fetal requirement. |
| Second trimester | Cooked tomato products, passata, paste, sauce, carry several times the lycopene of raw tomato, and the fat in the dish helps absorption. | No direct requirement; maternal antioxidant status is the broader context. |
| Third trimester | Still no target. Treat it as one marker of a colourful diet, not something to supplement. | No established fetal requirement. |
Target note
Display-only carotenoid marker. Not a vitamin A precursor.