Carrots: Aren’t they just wonderful? They have long been a staple the world over.
It can be eaten raw, boiled, roasted, and even enjoyed in smoothies. But it wasn’t always this way. The versatile carrot, originating in the Middle East around 5000 years ago, was first brought to America in 1607 via British settlers. From there, it spread like wildfire across the world.
But it has not always been simply a staple of the dinner table. It has often been used for its medicinal properties. The Greeks and Romans even believed it to be an aphrodisiac!
Today, we see more and more people extolling the virtues of this simple root vegetable in their skincare routine. Could this be fact or fiction? What are the benefits of carrot juice for skin complexion?
We have all the need-to-know information for you right here, plus a little more to keep you fuller for longer!
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Does Carrot Juice Improve Skin Colour?
With the sheer amount of vitamins, carrots can indeed improve skin colour and texture. And juicing is a great way to get all those lovely vitamins into your body in one shot.
The star player in the carrot world is beta-carotene, known for its anti-inflammatory properties. This is not all! When consumed, the body converts it into Vitamin A. This is fantastic news, as Vitamin A is known to protect skin tissues due to its photoprotective properties. This is why some sun creams contain beta-carotene, as it helps skin cells to protect against damage caused by the sun. And 100 grams of carrots are said to contain 104% of your recommended daily intake!
This amount of carrots is also said to contain 9% of the recommended amount of Vitamin C, promoting the skins natural regeneration. Vitamin K is also present within the makeup of a carrot. Aside from its ability to aid in healing and the blood-clotting, this vitamin is also said to smooth and reduce stretch marks and spider veins.
Last but definitely not least, carrots also contain Vitamin B6. The presence of good amounts of B6 in your body has been linked with combating dermatitis. The average recommended daily allowance is around 1.3 micrograms in adult men and women. Additionally, in recent years have seen strong indications of B6 protecting against cardiovascular disease, and even diabetes.
What are the Benefits of Drinking Carrot Juice Daily for Skin Complexion?
With all these fabulous vitamins floating around in one carrot, it’s not hard to see how we could benefit. With healing and defensive properties, consuming carrots could be beneficial for a number of skin ailments, including dermatitis, sun-damage and even acne.
But what are the benefits of drinking carrot juice for skin complexion, rather than eating them? When you remove the pulp and drink only the juice two things happen. You are increasing not only the number of vitamins imbibed in one go but also their absorption into the bloodstream.
To include drinking a glass of carrot juice in your morning routine, allows those vitamins to be delivered around the body throughout the day.
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Immune System Boost
The rich array of antioxidant properties found within the carotenoids and vitamins are great for keeping you healthy inside. No winter colds or flu for you! And when you are healthy inside it shows on the skin’s surface. Not only this, but antioxidants are also said to fight free radicals, the presence of which could lead to cancer.
Low Calorie, Low Sugar Content
Whilst a vegetable with one of the highest sugar contents, it is still less so than many fruits. And yet still sweet to taste! Healthy sugars should still be consumed as part of a varied diet. Yet controlling sugar intake is great for the skin. Too much sugar is understood to negatively affect collagen production, which is responsible for skin elasticity. Replacing sugary sodas for a glass of carrot juice could be just what the dermatologist ordered.
Whilst it is great to drink carrot juice, it is also worth saving some of the pulp to incorporate into your meals. The wonderful mix of fibres, both soluble and insoluble, within carrots serve to lower cholesterol and can be beneficial for diabetics.
If you are a fan of the zero-waste lifestyle, and yet you still want to juice your carrots, there are so many ways to utilize the pulp. Adding it to soups, smoothies, or desserts; using small amounts as baby food; adding it to the compost; or even using it as a face mask. More on this later…
Other Benefits of Drinking Carrot Juice Daily
Not only does drinking carrot juice affect your skin, but there are also a host of other wonderful outcomes that await you. Just by adding one drink to your morning routine.
Lowers Cholesterol
This is where utilising the carrot pulp comes in handy. Though there are still small amounts of fibre in the juice. Both insoluble and soluble fibres help to lower cholesterol by clinging to fats within the bloodstream. This makes it difficult for these larger molecules to be absorbed by the body. Instead, they are flushed out via our digestive system.
Brain function
These fibres serve another function within the blood. Their presence promotes blood circulation. When arteries are clear of too much fat, the blood quickly gets to where it needs to. As good brain function is heavily reliant on well-oxygenated blood, this is key. Phosphorous and potassium, also present in carrots, is also proven to boost brain power and strengthen the nervous system.
The brain is susceptible to oxidative stress, which can debilitate nerve signalling within the brain. The presence of these nutrients, alongside Vitamin K and B6, serves to alleviate the likelihood of oxidative stress affecting this precious organ.
A high functioning brain makes better choices, as we all know. So perhaps drinking a glass of carrot juice will help stimulate the brains capacity to reach for the healthy snacks, in times of stress. Plus, well-oxygenated, fast moving blood hydrates the skin, promoting better skin tone.
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Eyesight
No, this is not a mistake. Carrots actually can help to improve your eyesight! Present in carrots are carotenoids lutein (a powerful antioxidant) and zeaxanthin, as well as beta-carotene. These help to improve eye-functioning and can even slow down macular degeneration.
What are the Disadvantages of Daily Carrot Juice?
With so many great reasons to include this wonder-root into your daily diet, it would be easy to include it in every meal and snack. But it is wise to limit your intake to roughly 4-6 carrots a day to avoid negative side-effects.
Many people have reported a change in their skin-colour to a yellowish or orange hue, after excessive consumption. Whilst we want to improve skin tone, looking like a carrot isn’t really the idea.
Also, whilst beneficial to your health, it has been said that excessive consumption can actually degenerate your eyesight. For this reason, it is best to stick with the recommended daily allowance above.
Carrots are also a vegetable with one of the highest sugar content, second only to beetroot. Whilst the overall sugar content is not overly high at around 5 grams, it is always best to exercise caution. Especially when juicing carrots as this process removes a lot of fibre that is beneficial for the body. It is the fibre that can help lower cholesterol, so worth keeping! Diabetics also take note, whilst low on the glycemic index, eating or juicing too many carrots could cause spikes in blood sugar.
But fear not. We have a solution. What are the other benefits of carrot juice for skin complexion, if you aren’t eating them?
Image by Gerhard Bögner from Pixabay
Other Ways to use Carrot Juice: Facial Toners & Masks
If you don’t want to eat too many carrots, you are getting a bit sick of them, or you just plain don’t like the taste, no matter! You can still get all the juicy benefits of the superfood by introducing carrot into your beauty regime.
Facial Toner
- 1 medium carrot, grated
- 1 tsp natural aloe vera
Blend the grated carrot in a blender with a small amount of water. Once pulped, strain into a bowl catching all the liquid. Add aloe vera to the liquid and mix well. Pour into a spray bottle and store in the fridge. This can be used nightly as part of your beauty regime. The natural healing properties of aloe vera soothe and repair damaged skin. When combined with vitamin A in carrots, this toner is great for sun damage, acne, even dry skin.
Carrot Mask
- ¼ medium carrot, grated
- ½ tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp raw honey
Combine the ingredients in a blender until almost smooth. Apply to the face, avoiding the eyes, and leave for 15-20 minutes. This can be used 3 times a week for glowing skin. This is also very good for acne as vitamins in the carrot together with lemon help to even skin tone. Honey is also a natural antioxidant with healing properties.
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So now you know, Carrot juice has many benefits for skin complexion! Juicing, steaming, grating, you name it, there is a way to get the veg to work for you. Even if you don’t like the taste.
Whilst it is best to heed the dangers of over-eating carrots, everything in moderation is always a good rule of thumb. Still, incorporating juices, raw or steamed veg into your diet has many, many benefits.
Get playful with the addition of carrots to your health and beauty regimen. Mix it up and keep things fresh, as fresh as the carrots that have so many good properties!
Perhaps it is time to change that old adage to ‘a carrot a day keeps the doctor away’.
