Vitamin C works hard in many ways, but it also scavenges free radicals. Excellent foods to choose are bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, strawberries, kiwi fruits, and citrus fruits. There are hundreds of carotenoids, and it seems likely that some may be as important as, if not more important than, beta-carotene. In fact, new research shows it's quite likely that health benefits are due to many carotenoids working together to produce antioxidant protection. Lycopene, for instance, is a powerful carotenoid that may protect against heart disease.
Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, but have little beta-carotene.
Other carotenoids found in green leafy vegetables are being studied for protective effects against eye disease. It's been seen that people living in areas where the soil is rich in selenium have less cancer. That's not proof that selenium protects against cancer, but it's got researchers working hard to find out. Selenium is found in grains, so if the soil is poor, selenium may be absent. But it's also found in seafood, liver and kidneys, eggs and tuna, so there are other food choices available.