You’ve heard the old wives’ tale that carrots help you see in the dark, but is there any truth in this? If so, just how can carrots help improve your nighttime eyesight? Carrots are full of goodness for your body.
When it comes to adding carrots to your diet, you should do it for more than just your eyesight—and yes it can help. Carrots will help your overall health, including your skin and mind.
The best thing is carrots are easy to add into your diet to be able to get all the benefits. You can eat them raw or cooked and even add them to juice for your daily intake.
Let’s take a look at all the health benefits of carrots and just how you can get more of the amazing vegetable into your diet. Check out more info on low fibre here
The Nutritional Makeup of Carrots
Before we get into all the benefits, let’s take a look at why the benefits occur. Carrots have multiple vitamins and minerals in extremely high amounts.
Vitamin A is one of the essential vitamins that is included in the carrots. In fact, one serving of the vegetable gives you 241 percent of your recommended daily amount. In this case, too much isn’t bad for you. It’s completely natural to get this amount from the vegetable.
At the same time, you’ll get 7 percent of both your recommended daily amounts of vitamin C and potassium and 12 percent of your recommended daily amount of vitamin K. There is also no fat or cholesterol within the vegetable, helping to avoid various health complications and problems.
So, now that you know the makeup of carrots let’s look at all the ways that you’ll benefit.
Give Your Night Vision a Boost
Let’s start with the most obvious one. There’s a reason why people say carrots helps your night vision. The beta-carotene in the vegetable is turned into vitamin A within the body. The amount that you get is so high that it’s better than taking vitamin A tablets!
Vitamin A is essential for the eyesight. It turns into the purple pigment within the retina, which is necessary to help improve how much you see when the lights are turned off. So, yes, your eyesight is improved just by eating this vegetable, especially when it comes to your night vision.
On top of that, the vitamin A helps to lower the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration. While it doesn’t completely stop it from happening—because you can’t stop the aging process—but you can lower the risk by 40 percent, according to studies.
Slow Down the Process of Aging
As we’ve said, it’s not possible to stop the aging process completely, but it doesn’t mean you can’t slow it down. By sticking to the right type of nutrients, you will be able to slow the aging process down to allow you to lower the risk of developing various age-related diseases.
While beta-carotene turns into vitamin A in the liver, it is also an antioxidant. You’ll have already heard that antioxidants are super for fighting cancer again—and we will get to that point soon—but they are also excellent for warding off aging.
As we get older, our cells become damaged and need to repair and rebuild.Antioxidants help to slow down the damage caused to the cells. At the same time, they help to ensure the cells don’t repair abnormally, leading to various issues with getting older.
And yes, that does mean that carrots can help to reduce the chance of getting cancer. Antioxidants help to fight off the free radicals in your body, which are the main reason for cancerous cells developing. Studies have actually shown that carrots can help to reduce the risk of numerous cancers, including colon, breast, and lung cancers. Some studies have also shown there is the potential to reduce the risk of cervical and gastric cancers.
Scientists have found that it may not just be the antioxidants that help to reduce the risk of cancer. Carrots are also high in falcarinol, which is a natural pesticide. Carrots use it to protect its own roots from any fungal diseases in the ground. The compound could help to protect the cells from diseases and abnormalities. Studies have shown that rats that ate carrots lowered the risk of cancer by 33 percent.
Keep Your Immune System Working
We’ve seen that carrots have a good amount of vitamin C. This helps to keep the immune system functioning properly. The larger amounts of antioxidants also help with this part.
Just by eating carrots, you can reduce the risk of infection and lower the chances of getting ill. It’s also possible to use carrots topically straight onto cuts and open wounds. Herbalists have used carrots for centuries, boiling and mashing them to apply directly onto the skin.
It’s not a complete cure for infections, but it can help to lower the chances of them. You can also use them directly on fungal nail infections thanks to the falcarinol within them.
Make the Skin Look and Feel Healthier
How often have you wondered if there’s a miracle cure out there for your skin problems? Well, carrots won’t cure everything, but they do help to improve the look and feel of the skin.
Let’s first consider the topical use. Not only will they help to reduce the risk of infection when you’ve cut yourself, but they will also act as a facial mask. You can mix grated carrot and honey together and apply directly to your skin. Leave your facial mask there for about 15 minutes and wash it off.
With a carrot face mask, your skin won’t just feel soft but will also look fresh and cleansed. You’ll get that feeling of being renewed and regenerated.
But it’s not just through topical treatments that help with the skin. Just by getting the carrots into your diet you can improve the look and feel of your skin. The vitamins and antioxidants within the vegetable will help to protect the skin from damage from the sun.
You’ll also find that you won’t have dryness or brittleness as much. These two problems come from being deficient in certain nutrients.
And of course, there are also benefits from the slower aging process. Aging leads to pigmentation problems, wrinkling, uneven skin tone, and dry skin. You’ll be able to feel more confident in yourself when you get rid of these issues.
Vitamin A is actually used in some skin care products, so it’s time to start using carrots. It’s used to treat psoriasis, eczema, wounds, and cold sores. You can use it to improve the look of these conditions, too.
If you want a more naturally looking tan, it’s time to eat more carrots and other foods with yellow, orange, or red colouring. Researchers have found that food with these colours has helped to improve the glow in your skin naturally. And when you are out in the sun, your skin is more protected from it and will get that sun-kissed look at the same time.
No Cholesterol Means Better Heart Health
A diet that has plenty of carrots will help to lower the risk of heart disease and poor heart health. This is all from the beta-carotene again, but also from the lutein and alpha-carotene.
There’s also the benefit of no cholesterol in carrots. The bad cholesterol levels are reduced, which means there will be more good cholesterol in the body. Good cholesterol helps to protect the blood vessels through a lining. The blood is able to flow through the vessels and get to the heart.
This helps to improve the overall organ health. The heart is able to pump the right amount of blood through the body, so enough oxygen gets to all the organs. They’re able to function as they should, which means your liver can process all the nutrients from the carrots to distribute them properly.
Your risk of stroke is also lowered, thanks to the reduction of cholesterol in your body. Your blood pressure is reduced, and there’s less chance of clotting in the blood vessels, which means the risk of stroke is much lowered. A study has shown this benefit. Just having at least five carrots a week will reduce the risk of stroke considerably.
More Carrots Means Better Weight Loss
Like with the immune system, carrots aren’t a miracle cure for weight loss, but they are good. One serving of carrots will have just 30 calories and is full of fibre. The fibre are even soluble, which means they soak up far more water on a daily basis. You’ll feel fuller for longer, which means you’ll lower your risk of over-consuming calories.
Carrots are also delicious. They have a sweet taste to them, which helps to kick some of the sweet cravings you’ll get while on a diet. You don’t feel like you’re missing out on anything because you get something to satisfy some of the sweet cravings. And when you’re able to do that, you are less likely to binge on sweet stuff.
You’ll also find that your risk of type II diabetes is lowered. Part of this comes from improving your weight, but it also comes from improving your diet. While carrots have a sweet taste, they’re not overly sweet in nature. That means your blood sugar levels aren’t going to increase and you won’t see the same insulin response. The sweet taste also helps you feel like you’re getting enough sugar to ease your cravings, which means you won’t consume as much.
The fibre also helps. This level of fibre helps to keep the insulin response to a minimum.
Remove the Toxins from the Body
It’s time for an overall detox. Yes, the body can take care of this, but sometimes the organs get a little backed up. Think of it as a queue of people getting out of a room. If there’s too many trying to get out of the doors, it will take longer for everyone to get out. So, if there are too many toxins in the body, it will take longer for your organs to process them all and get them out.
Your healthy diet is one of the reasons for the removal of the toxins. You’re giving your organs less work to do so they can get rid of the bad stuff easier.
At the same time, the vitamin A you’re putting into the body is giving your liver a boost. So, not only are you removing some of the toxins you keep putting in to give your liver a chance, but you’re also giving it some extra support. It’s like making the doors wider to allow more people to get through at the same time.
The fibre also helps to support the body. Fibre will keep the digestive system supported and made sure the colon is able to get rid of the junk in your system. You’ll speed up the process of removing the waste from your system. This won’t just help you feel cleansed, but you’ll also feel lighter.
Better Oral Health
The carrots also help to protect your oral health, but only if you eat the carrots raw. When you crunch through a raw carrot, you can use it to scrape off the food particles and plaque from your teeth and gums. You lower the risk of getting bacteria in the gums, which helps to lower the risk of tooth decay and gum disease.
At the same time, your mouth is encouraged to produce more saliva. This helps to remove the food particles and bacteria from your mouth and encourages a more neutral pH balance. Your teeth don’t suffer from as many cavities.
And let’s also remember all those minerals within the carrots? They don’t just help the inside of your body but also the inside of your mouth. So, not only are you improving your oral health by getting rid of the plaque and bacteria, but you’re also reducing your risk of infections.
The antioxidants in the carrots can also help to reduce the risk of oral cancer. Studies are still being conducted in this field, but it’s still worth getting carrots into your diet, right?
A Boost to Your Emotional Health
It’s not just your physical health that will benefit from eating more carrots. Your emotional health will also see an increase. Studies have shown that people happier and more optimistic by getting 13 percent of carotenoids. Researchers just aren’t sure how this happens.
It is possible that all the extra nutrients in your system help your emotional health. You know that you are eating better and you start to feel better within yourself. Your emotions get the boost because you know that you’re putting your physical health first.
Of course, the extra oxygen going around your system because your heart is healthier will help to boost your emotional health. Your brain releases the good chemicals like serotonin and endorphins that help to boost how you feel.
There are also links that your mental health improves. The extra oxygen helps to improve the memory. Antioxidants also help to reduce that aging process of cells dying, which means you’re at a lower risk of developing dementia.
But How Do I Get More In My Diet?
So, now you know all about the health benefits of carrots, it’s time to consider how to get them into your diet more often. We’ve already mentioned ideas but not looked into the exact ways that you can add them. There are just so many options.
The first—and arguably the best way—is to eat them raw. Not only will you get the crunchiness to help remove the plaque and food, but you’ll also get more of the nutrients. When food is cooked, some of the nutrients are removed, and it doesn’t matter how you cook the foods. It’s best just to eat as much as you can raw.
With so few calories, you could opt for eating slices of raw carrot while you’re preparing dinner. Pull out an extra carrot to munch on while you wait. It’s common to want too much on something while you cook anyway, so it might as well be something beneficial for your whole body.
Munching on a whole carrot isn’t always going to be comfortable, but that isn’t the only way you can get it raw into your diet. Try grating up the carrot and mix it into your salads. You can add it to couscous and lemon or ginger to add that little extra boost to your salad.
Another option is to spiralize your carrots. Use them in place of noodles for stir-fries if you want to enjoy a low carb diet. It’s also possible to cook the spiralized carrots within the stir-fries just to add a little extra boost.
They are also excellent additions to stews, or you can add them to soups. Cooking them doesn’t lose all the nutrients, so you’ll still benefit your health. The best way to cook, though, is through steaming. Not only does this keep some of the moisture in the vegetables, but it also avoids adding any fats to them.
Steaming and then mashing is a great way to make it easier to add the carrots to your diet. You can mix them in with some potatoes, turnip, and other root vegetables for those who really don’t like the taste of something in particular. Rutabaga and carrots tend to work extremely well together when mashed.
Roasting your carrots is another way of getting them into your diet. Pop them on a tray with potatoes and drizzle oil to enjoy with your Sunday dinner.
Another option is to get your carrots through juice. Carrot juice is extremely popular because of the sweet taste to it. There’s that feeling like you’re going to have something naughty, which helps to reduce the amount of sugar you have throughout the day.
When opting for carrot juice, blend the whole vegetable down. This will help you get all the fibre as well as the nutritional benefits.
And then there are the topical treatments because you don’t just need to eat them. Use them as a face mask or opt for them asa cream for wounds.
What’s Your Next Step?
Now it’s time to boost your health. Carrots are one of the most beneficial vegetables out there because of all the nutrients within them. It’s time to find a way to add them to your diet. Find a plan for your meals to make sure you get more in your lifestyle.
There are just so many ways that your health will benefit. Even if you don’t think you like the taste of them, find ways to cook and add the carrots in so that you can mask that. It’s more than worth it when you get to improve your eyesight, give your heart health a boost, and improve your emotional health.
There are “carrot diets” out there. These have different ways of helping you get the nutrients that you need. For example, the Carrot Flash Diet is a 7-day diet that helps to detox the system. While there are some claims that this diet can also reverse some diseases, although there still needs to be some research into the claims.
While you are eating carrots, you may see physical signs of this. The orange within the vegetable can lead to some orange tinges to the soles of your feet and the palms of your hands. Don’t worry about it. As your body levels out with the vegetable, you’ll find that the orange tinges disappear. This is more likely a problem when you drink only carrot juice or add a lot of extra to your system to get all the benefits.
So, what’s going to be your next step? Are you going to get more carrots into your diet?
