Anthocyanin means Dark Blue Flower in Greek. Blueberries. are high in anthocyanins but are sprayed with a horrible

gunk from a friend of Bill Gates. Best to avoid anything sprayed by a APEEL. Some companies like Sprouts and Whole Foods 

refuse to sell anything sprayed by a friend of Bill Gates.

List of the 20 foods with the highest amounts of Anthocyanins in rank order

Black crowberry: 4,180 mg

Purple corn: 1,642 mg

Aronia berries (Chokeberries): 1,480 mg

Elderberries: 1,000 mg (range 450–1,000 mg)

 Norton grape: 888 mg

 Black raspberries: 589–845 mg

 Wild blueberries: 558 mg

 Blackcurrants: 270–533 mg (range 190–500 mg)

 Black soybeans (seed coat): ~2,000 mg (2 g/100g)

 Blackberries: 317–365 mg (Marion variety 433 mg)

 Red cabbage (dried): 1,442 mg

 Açaí: 410 mg

 Purple corn husks: 10x more than kernels

 Red cabbage (fresh): ~150–322 mg

 Queen Garnet plum: 277 mg

 Cherries (sweet): 122–177 mg

 Purple sweet potatoes: 218–244 mg (cooked)

 Eggplant: 709–750 mg (skin)

 Red radishes: 100–116 mg

 Black beans: 44–213 mg

 Note: Values vary significantly by variety, ripeness, and preparation (e.g., wild vs. cultivated blueberries). Concord grapes (326 mg) and Purple tomatoes (283 mg) are also high sources.

The red/pink color you see in both krill and salmon comes from an entirely different class of pigment: astaxanthin, a carotenoid. Here's how it works:

Microalgae (especially Haematococcus pluvialis) produce astaxanthin.

 Krill eat the algae and accumulate astaxanthin in their shells/flesh (~120 ppm), giving them their reddish-orange color.

 Salmon eat krill and other small crustaceans, depositing the astaxanthin in their muscle tissue (wild salmon: ~26–38 mg/kg; farmed: ~6–8 mg/kg), producing the familiar pink-to-red flesh.

 So while anthocyanins and astaxanthin are both antioxidant pigments that can produce red/purple hues, they belong to completely different chemical families (flavonoid glycosides vs. carotenoids) and are found in entirely different organisms (plants vs. marine animals).

  Astaxanthin is one of the most potent natural antioxidants known — roughly 550× more effective than vitamin C and 5,500× more than CoQ10 at scavenging free radicals (per in vitro ORAC-type assays). Its benefits fall into several categories:

Area                                                                                                 Effect

Antioxidant / Anti-inflammatory                                                     Neutralizes singlet oxygen and free radicals; reduces CRP and inflammatory markers

Cardiovascular                                                                                  Lowers LDL oxidation, modestly reduces triglycerides and systolic BP, raises HDL

 Skin                                                                                                Reduces wrinkles, improves elasticity and hydration; protects against UV-induced damage (acts as                                                                                                           an internal "sunscreen" adjunct)

 Eye                                                                                                Crosses the blood-retinal barrier; may improve visual acuity, reduce eye strain, and slow age-                                                                                                                  related macular degeneration

Brain / Cognitive                                                                            Crosses the blood-brain barrier; clinical trials show improved working memory and cognitive                                                                                                                  scores in elderly subjects; potential neuroprotection against Alzheimer's and Parkinson's

 Immune                                                                                            Supports antibody production and immune cell proliferation

 Bone / Joint                                                                                        Reduces bone pain and inflammation; may help with osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis

 Exercise                                                                                                Reduces muscle damage and fatigue; improves endurance and recovery

 Metabolic                                                                                               May improve insulin sensitivity and reduce risk of type 2 diabetes

Here are the best natural food sources of astaxanthin, ranked by concentration:

#FoodAstaxanthin                                            (mg/kg)Per                          Typical Serving

1Haematococcus pluvialis                                microalgae)~                       40,000 (dry)Not typically eaten; basis of supplements

 2Phaffia rhodozyma (red yeast)                        ~2,500 (dry)                         Not a food; used in aquaculture feed

3Arctic shrimp (Pandalus borealis)                      ~1,200~                                  1.2 mg per 100 g

4Wild Sockeye Salmon                                          26–38                                    4–5.5 mg per 5.3 oz (150 g)

5Farmed Rainbow Trout                                       ~25                                            ~3–4 mg per 5.3 oz

6Wild Coho Salmon                                               ~21                                            ~1.5–3 mg per 5.3 oz

7Krill                                                                     ~120 (in oil)                                 0.1–0.5 mg per 1–2 g oil

 8Farmed Atlantic Salmon                                        ~9~0.4                                         –1 mg per 5.3 oz

   9Wild Arctic Char                                                 ~8.5~                                             0.7 mg per 5.3 oz

 10Wild Pink Salmon                                               ~7.5                                               ~0.6 mg per 5.3 oz

 11Chinook (King) Salmon                                       ~5.5                                                ~0.5–1.5 mg per 5.3 oz

12Chum Salmon                                                       ~5                                                  ~0.4 mg per 5.3 oz

13Crawfish                                                                 ~1530.3                                          –0.8 mg per 3.5 oz tail meat

14Shrimp (wild)                                                        50                                                      –1500.5–1.5 mg per 3.5 oz

 15Lobster                                                                    50                                                      –1001–2 mg per serving

16Crab (Dungeness/blue)                                          10–40 (meat); much higher in shell       l0.1–0.4 mg per 3.5 oz meat

17Salmon roe                                                              ~100+                                                       ~1–2 mg per 3.5 oz

 18Red Sea Bream                                                        6–16                                                            0.5–1 mg per 3.5 oz

19Eel (marine)                                                              18–28                                                             ~2–3 mg per 3.5 oz

20Sea urchin eggs (uni)                                                   ~27                                                              mg/kg~0.1–0.3 mg per 1.8 oz

 Key takeaways:

Wild sockeye salmon is the clear winner among practical whole foods — a single 5-oz fillet delivers 4–5.5 mg, which is at the lower end of clinical trial doses (8–12 mg/day).

The deeper the red/pink, the more astaxanthin — that's the visual cue.

Astaxanthin is fat-soluble, so it's best absorbed when eaten with dietary fat (olive oil, avocado, butter, etc.).

Shells and heads of crustaceans (shrimp, crab, lobster) concentrate the most astaxanthin, but these parts are rarely eaten.

 Farmed salmon gets its color from astaxanthin added to feed (sometimes synthetic), so levels are lower and less consistent than in wild fish.

 There is no single "optimal" dose — it depends on the health goal. Here's what the clinical literature supports:

Goal                    Dose (mg/day)                           Duration                                     Key Evidence

General antioxidant support     4–6                           Ongoing                                  Consistent safety; modest oxidative stress reduction

Skin (hydration, elasticity, UV)   6–12                      8–16 weeks                             Meta-analysis of 9 RCTs: improved elasticity, reduced wrinkles at 6 mg; stronger 

                                                                                                                                  at 12 mg

Digital eye strain / visual fatigue    4–6                    12 weeks                                4 mg reduced CVS symptoms and improved accommodation

Exercise performance & recovery   8–12               1–12 weeks                              12 mg improved 40 km cycling time trial by ~1.2%; reduced muscle 

                                                                                                                                  damage at 8 mg

Cognitive / brain                              12–20                 12 weeks                                20 mg improved cognitive scores in 50–69-year-old men

Practical consensus:

Start at 6 mg/day — this is the most common baseline across trials and the European Commission's authorized daily intake (8 mg from Haematococcus pluvialis oleoresin).

Step up to 12 mg/day if targeting specific benefits (skin aging, exercise, inflammation). This is where the strongest and broadest clinical evidence sits.

 Beyond 12 mg (up to 40 mg) has been tested safely but shows no meaningfully greater benefit — diminishing returns.

 Key administration tips:

Take with a fat-containing meal (olive oil, avocado, eggs) — it's fat-soluble and absorption drops sharply on an empty stomach.

 Consistency matters more than dose — benefits typically appear after 4–8 weeks of daily use.

 At 12 mg, that's roughly equivalent to eating ~1.6 kg (3.5 lbs) of wild sockeye salmon per day, which is impractical — hence the supplement route.

 Safety: Across 87+ clinical trials (>2,000 participants), no significant toxicity or serious adverse events have been reported at any dose up to 100 mg short-term or 12 mg long-term. It's generally well-tolerated, with the most common (mild) side effect being slight yellowing of skin at very high doses

  Retrieving NatureBell astaxanthin content (I take that plus Krill oil daily)

 The 1,250 mg you're seeing is the total Haematococcus pluvialis oleoresin (algae oil) amount on the label — not the astaxanthin itself. That oleoresin is roughly 1% astaxanthin by weight, so:

Your actual astaxanthin content is 12 mg per serving.

That's the "Maximum Strength" NatureBell product (their 12 mg softgel line, made with MCT or sunflower seed oil as a carrier). You're right at the upper end of the clinically studied dose range — the sweet spot for skin, exercise recovery, and anti-inflammatory benefits.

You're referring to Akkermansia muciniphila (often called "AKK") — a slim, mucus-dwelling bacterium that's one of the most abundant members of a healthy human gut microbiome. It's been called a "next-generation probiotic" because it appears to do a lot of the work that we used to attribute to Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus.

Key Benefits

Area                                                                      What it does

Gut barrier                                                           Thickens the mucus layer, tightens junctions between gut cells, reduces "leaky gut" / endotoxemia

Metabolic / Obesity                                              Improves insulin sensitivity, increases GLP-1 and PYY (satiety hormones), reduces adiposity and body weight

Type 2 Diabetes                                                    A 2025 Cell Metabolism RCT (58 participants, 12 weeks) showed that people with low baseline AKK who                                                                                            received live AKK had reduced body weight, fat mass, HbA1c, and LDL-C — those already high in AKK saw no                                                                                  added benefit

 Inflammation                                                        Lowers CRP, TNF-α, IL-6; expands regulatory T cells; dampens systemic low-grade inflammation

Liver (NAFLD)                                                     Reduces hepatic steatosis, liver fat, and inflammation via the gut–liver axis (activates AMPK pathway)

Cardiovascular                                                         Reduces atherosclerotic lesion formation in animal models; lowers cholesterol and triglycerides in human trials

Brain / Neuro                                                             Crosses the gut–brain axis; improves cognitive function in aging and Alzheimer's mouse models; preserves                                                                                           blood–brain barrier integrity

Muscle / Aging                                                           A 2024 RCT in adults 60+ showed pasteurized AKK improved leg muscle strength and peak torque over 12                                                                                            weeks

Respiratory                                                                  A 2024 multicenter RCT showed heat-killed AKK reduced breathlessness and cough scores

Cancer                                                                           Enhances response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (anti-PD-1) in mouse models by boosting IL-12 and T-                                                                                           cell activation

Longevity                                                                       Higher AKK levels correlate with healthy aging and exceptional longevity in cross-sectional human studies

How It Works (Mechanisms)Mucin degradation → stimulates goblet cells to produce new mucus (paradoxically thickens the barrier)

SCFA production (butyrate, propionate) → energy for colonocytes, anti-inflammatory signaling

TLR2 activation → triggers immune regulation and metabolic benefits

GLP-1 stimulation → promotes insulin secretion and satiety

Endotoxin trapping → keeps LPS out of circulation, reducing systemic inflammation

Practical NotesHow to increase it naturally: polyphenol-rich foods (berries, green tea, red wine), dietary fiber, and a varied diet all promote AKK growth. Caloric restriction and fasting also increase it.

Supplements (live or pasteurized) are now available; the studied dose is roughly 10¹⁰ CFU/day.

Pasteurized (heat-killed) AKK works too — and in some trials works better than live, because the outer membrane proteins (Amuc_1100) that drive many benefits are preserved.

Horbäach Akkermansia Muciniphila Probiotic (note the umlaut on the ä). Here's what's in it:

Per serving (at time of manufacture):

5 billion TFU Akkermansia muciniphila (strain UF-835)

 25 billion CFU Bifidobacterium lactis (strain UF-12)

Plus a polyphenol/prebiotic complex (inulin, acacia fiber, cranberry Prolanthocyanidins, pomegranate ellagic acid, grape seed polyphenols)

 The "30 Billion" on the label is the combined total of both organisms.

 I take Now Brands L-Reuteri 2.5 Billion CFU. The label says it is a heart health probiotic. What are its benefits?

Your product uses L. reuteri NCIMB 30242 (trade name LRC™) — the single most clinically studied L. reuteri strain for cardiovascular outcomes. At 1 capsule twice daily, you're getting 5 billion CFU/day, which matches the dosing in the key trials.

   A 2014 meta-analysis in Nutrition Reviews found that NCIMB 30242 was the only probiotic strain that "best met TLC dietary requirements" for LDL reduction — outperforming all other tested strains (L. acidophilus, B. lactis, E. faecium).

 How It WorksThe key mechanism is bile salt hydrolase (BSH) activity:

LRC™ deconjugates bile acids in the gut

 Deconjugated bile acids are less efficiently reabsorbed → more cholesterol is excreted in stool

 The liver pulls more circulating cholesterol to make new bile acids → serum LDL drops

 Simultaneously reduces inflammatory signaling (CRP, fibrinogen)

 This is the same mechanism as bile-acid sequestrants (cholestyramine), but milder and without the GI side effects.

It's a live probiotic — refrigerate after opening (as the label directs) to maintain CFU count.

(Probably best to take it as food when added to Yogurt of Kefir active cultures.)

 What 10 oz of Refrigerated Red Lentils Delivers10 oz cooked ≈ 283 g. The 2014 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry study on red lentils specifically showed that cooling increased RS from 3.0% to 5.1% of dry weight — a 70% jump. In practical terms:

ComponentPer 10 oz (283 g) cookedResistant starch (total)~8–13 g (RS1 inherent + RS3 from cooling)Protein~20 gFiber (soluble + insoluble)~11 gNet digestible calories~200–230 kcal (vs. ~350 if fully digestible)

 The ~10–15 kcal/gram "savings" from the RS (it ferments to ~2–3 kcal in the colon instead of 4) means you're effectively reducing the caloric yield of your lentils by 15–25%, while still getting the full protein, micronutrients, and satiety.

Your Total Resistant Starch Intake

 SourceRS (g/day)Potato starch (assuming 15–20 g)15–20Red lentils (10 oz, cooled 24 h)8–13Total~23–33 g/day

The 2024 Nature Metabolism RCT that showed −2.8 kg over 8 weeks used 40 g/day. You're at ~60–80% of that dose from food alone, without any supplement — and you've been doing it for 6 months, not 8 weeks. That's very likely the main driver of your 56 lb loss, with the olive oil's GLP-1 bump and your Akkermansia supplement as supporting cast.

Why Red Lentils Are a Particularly Good Choice Highest RS among common lentils — the 2014 study found red lentils had the most cooling-responsive RS of the market classes tested

 RS1 + RS3 combo — they're one of the few foods that provide both physically trapped starch (RS1, present even when hot) and retrograded starch (RS3, from cooling). Most foods only provide one type

 Low glycemic impact — the RS + soluble fiber combo keeps the postprandial glucose curve flat

The 24-hour cooling is well-supported — the ScienceDirect study specifically confirmed that reheating after cooling retains 75–85% of the RS3, so you're not losing it by warming them up before eating

 One Small NoteThe 2014 study also found that green lentils had slightly higher total RS than red (and more RFOs/prebiotics). If you ever want to squeeze out a bit more, alternating in green lentils could add a few grams. But red lentils are already excellent, and the cooking time is shorter, which matters for consistency.

You've essentially built a food-based GLP-1 + resistant starch protocol that's hitting ~70–80% of the clinically studied RS dose. That's a very smart approach — and the 56 lbs proves it's working.

(I found the best Olive oils on the market in the US are 1) Costco's Kirkland's and 2)   Terra Delyssa sold at most stores.)