Fed up of using Vitamin A pills?
Forget that and get a bunch of carrots which host many nutritional items. This home available root vegetable is well known for Vitamin A and Beta-carotene. Anyway, there are many other vitamins in carrot which are listed at the end of this post.
It’s interesting to know the connection between Vitamin A and Beta-carotene.
Vitamin A (a fat soluble fat)
Vitamin A is involved in immune system functioning, vision, reproduction and cellular communication.
It is a great resource for skin and body to function normally at the same time to get rid of many harmful diseases. Vitamin A helps to exfoliate skin to remove dead cells which is a great way to eradicate skin diseases. Vitamin A can reprogram a changed cell to normalize the skin condition which can reduce acne and eczema.
Vitamin A has two basic forms 1) Preformed vitamin A 2) Provitamin A.
Preformed vitamin A is mostly found in meat, fish and dairy products. The Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that, human absorbs and utilizes preformed vitamin A at the rate of 70 to 90 percent. (source)
Coming to Provitamin A, it’s found in fruits, vegetables and other plant based diet.
Beta-carotene (provitamin A)
Most common provitamin A found in vegetables is beta-carotene. Unlike Preformed vitamin A, beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A by body. A study shows that beta-carotene is effective against UV rays.
And carrot has both these vitamin A forms in it. Including this, carrot is rich in potassium, carbohydrates and fiber.
Must read: Best Foods to Nourish Dry Skin
Benefits of Carrot for skin
Now that you know the nutritional value of carrot, you can easily understand and remember benefits it can give to your skin. To make sure you stay healthy we also included few healthy benefits of carrot.
#1 Can treat acne, eczema and dry skin problems
Numerous studies have concluded that vitamin A in your diet can cure chronic eczema. Vitamin A in carrots can cure tumors, cancer, lesions in skin, reports says. Antioxidants and vitamins present in carrot protect your skin from sun damages. Keeps the skin moisture making the epidermis function properly as a barrier.
Vitamin A in carrots helps to get rid of wrinkles, acne, and pigmentation and improves skin tone.
#2 Can be used as a face mask
Mix carrot with honey and apply it to your face. You can remove dry skin get back moist smooth skin tone on your face. (Also read: 6 homemade face scrubs)
#3 Prevent heart diseases and strokes
Regular consumption of carrots reduces cholesterol level because soluble fiber in carrots binds the bile acids. Study shows that diet which is rich in carotenoids can reduce heart disease.
A study at Harvard University shows that people who consumed extra 6 carrots a week have are less likely to suffer from strokes.
#5 Anti-aging
Vitamin A is the only chemical which is capable of reprogramming cell change helps keep the skin out of wrinkles and dryness through metabolism.
#6 Improved eye vision
Most of us know about this, high intake of carrot helps to improve our vision. Vitamin A after metabolism sent to retina, this is important for night vision.
#7 Acts like body Cleanser
Vitamin A flushes away toxins in body which reduces bile and fat in the body. Also the fiber helps to wash away waste out of colon.
Other benefits include
- Cleans your teeth and mouth.
- It’s a powerful antiseptic.
- Prevent cancer.
- Treatment for hair loses.
- Stimulate hair growth.
- Great source for calcium.
- Cardiovascular benefits.
- Boosts immune system.
Side effects
There is a popular story about high consumption of carrot that your skin will turn to yellow – orange. And yes this is not rumor. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition says that over intake of carrot can turn your skin color and whiten your eyes.
Ingesting 20 milligrams of beta-carotene per day can probe you the risk.
Top countries cultivating carrots
The name carrot is derived from the Greek word karoton. And it belongs to Umbelliferae family. Though at starting carrots are highly cultivated in Central Asia and Middle East Countries, China cultivates one-third of all carrots sold worldwide, Russia stands second largest carrots producer with US on third position
In US alone adults consume 12 pounds of carrot each year (9 pounds in fresh form and 3 pounds in canned or frozen form).
We think that carrot is only found in orange color but the fact is they can be found in white, yellow, purple and red. In 15th and 16 the century carrot with purple, yellow and red were the only color varieties of carrots to be cultivated.
Nutritional Value of Carrots
Vitamin A, Beta-carotene, Potassium, Carbohydrates, Fiber, Protein, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Potassium, Sodium, Zinc, Fluoride, lutein and zeaxanthin.
How to consume Carrots?
Carrots are tightly packed with nutrition listed above, to consume all of them best way is to crush them to grab all those vitamins by boiling, grinding, juicing or proper chewing.
With this the consumption and absorption rate increases.
Study proves that having carrots after streaming has more nutritional benefits to boiled carrots.
References
- http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrot
- http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-benefits-of-carrots.html
- http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=21