But they can certainly help with boosting your eye health with their 3 crucial nutrients of beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. Vitamin A is vital for reducing the risk of macular degeneration and other eye disorders.
One cup of chopped carrots will give you 400% of your Vitamin A daily requirements
Carrots also provide:
- High amounts of vitamins C, D, E and K.
- Many minerals such as magnesium, potassium and calcium.
- Carrots are highly nutritious and cleansing due to their high fiber content.
- One cup of raw carrots contains only about 10 grams of carbohydrate and almost 4 grams of fiber. The fiber in carrots helps to slow down the release of sugars, in the form of glucose, into the blood stream.
- Including carrots in a healthy diet can even be safe for someone who has diabetes because carrots prevent any drastic increases in blood sugar.
Carrots are popular worldwide being edible raw, cooked or juiced. Just about everyone loves them!
The color of carrots
Use a brush and water to wash the carrots, removing any dirt or debris, remembering that many of the nutrients and fiber are found in the precious skin of the carrots.
Although historically, carrots started off purple, they were bred to be the well known orange color but can also be found in shades of the original purple as well as yellow, white and red.
Carotenoids
Carrots get their color from antioxidants called carotenoids. One of these carotenoids is beta carotene, leading to the active vitamin A that is responsible for many of the carrot and carrot juice benefits that we know about today. Research has shown that beta carotene is crucial for improving immunity in the body, protecting skin and eye health as well as fighting free radical damage - damage that can lead to life-threatening disease.
Why is juicing carrots so beneficial?
Carrots have a wealth of valuable nutrition and, when you juice them, you can benefit from a concentrated dose of all the benefits (we have listed above) to make the most of their healing power. But there is more...
- The nutrients found in carrots are important for maintaining good oral health, by helping to fight bacteria and toxins that can enter through the mouth and stay within the gums and teeth. Eating raw carrots can help remove plaque and stains from teeth when eaten after meals.
- The beta carotene is important for healing any type of wound by increasing the body's ability to heal faster and to fight infection.
- Carrots and carrot juice will benefit brain health with its ability to lower oxidative stress in the brain (that can weaken nerve signaling capacity), helping to prevent dementia by improving memory and defending against cognitive decline.
How to choose your carrots
First choice must be to grow your own but look for whole organic carrots whenever possible. Apart from the regular orange carrots, consider multi-colored organic, heirloom carrots for a sweet and delicious treat. Eat them raw as a great snack on-the-run or in salads.
When lightly cooked or added to soups and stews, cooked carrots have even higher antioxidant activity than raw carrots.
And as we have already said, juicing is a great way to include carrots in your diet in moderation, getting plenty of live enzymes and concentrated nutritional benefits.
Use left/right arrows to navigate the slideshow or swipe left/right if using a mobile device
But they can certainly help with boosting your eye health with their 3 crucial nutrients of beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. Vitamin A is vital for reducing the risk of macular degeneration and other eye disorders.
