What’s in a Carrot:
Vitamin B1 |Vitamin B3 | Vitamin B5 | Vitamin B6 | Vitamin C | Vitamin E | Vitamin K | Beta-carotene | Biotin | Folate | Calcium | Iodine | Iron | Magnesium | Manganese | Phosphorus | Potassium | Selenium | Zinc | Fibre
What are the health benefits of carrots?
• Anti-Cancer
• Anti-Inflammatory
• Antioxidant
• Detoxifying
• Good for the Heart
• Good for the Skin
• Boosts Immunity
Carrot: The orange horn of health 🙂
The word “carrot” comes from the Indo-European root ker, which means horn and it’s used for this vegetable possibly because of its horn-like shape. It usually comes in a bright orange hue, but there actually are carrot in purple, red, white and yellow varieties.
Although the commonly eaten bit of the carrot is its fleshy root, you can also use the leaves in salads, cooking and juicing of course.
Carrots are so orange because they are very rich in Beta-Carotene, which is a carotenoid. In the body, this is converted into Vitamin A, which is essential for a healthy vision and healthy-looking skin. Lack of Vitamin A has long been associated with poor vision – be it normal or night vision.
There’s even an urban legend that says if you eat a lot of carrots you will be able to see in the dark. This story developed actually from a historical episode. Stories were made up during the WW2 about the RAF gunners ability to shoot German planes in the dark as being due to carrot consumption. These stories were planted to in fact cover up the the discovery and use of the new radar and red light technologies from the Germans. They were so successful in doing so that it strengthened existing beliefs of the power of the carrots both in Britons and Germans. (I found this out researching about carrots on Wikipedia and thought it was so interesting it needed to be shared:))
Eating just 2 carrots a day seems to reduce cholesterol levels (amazing!) and they also increase blood flow into the pelvic area and uterus, reduce flatulence, treat digestive problems, intestinal parasites, tonsillitis and constipation.
Eating a massive amount of carrots daily may turn your skin orange, which is a condition called carotenosis. But don’t worry – it’s benign 🙂 It may help you maintain your tan though…
For more info on carrots and so many other great ingredients for juicing and cooking, check out Paula Bartimeus’ awesome little book The Top 100 Healing Foods: 100 Foods to Relieve Common Ailments and Enhance Health and Vitality (The Top 100 Recipes Series). We use it all the time.
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