Why you should be growing carrots this summer

(Homesteading.news) What is the best thing to come from carrots? Well, carrot juice, of course!

Carrot juice is truly amazing and not only for its sweet succulent flavor, but also for its fairly immediate health benefits. When someone I know is in a health crisis, I make sure that a juice extractor is on hand along with a large bag of organic carrots.

These glorious sweet orange roots are over flowing with goodness. Besides being Bugs Bunny’s’ favorite snack, they are the ultimate crunchy power food that helps keep you healthy and radiant. When juiced, carrots give you a large amount of nutrients and their effect on the body is almost immediate.

They were originally grown for medicine, not as a food. Merchant trading vessels in 120BC that sank had carrots, parsley and onions preserved in clay pills on board. These pills were used to treat intestinal problems among the ships crew. Although these types of remedies were read about in ancient Greek transcripts, this is the first time we actually have proof.

So what are these incredible carrot juice benefits?

1# Help You See in the Dark

When mum told you to eat your carrots because they help you see in the dark, she wasn’t lying. This popular dinner table mantra for the little ones is mainly thanks to World War 11 propaganda. Carrots became associated with night vision during the war.

The British army claimed that their RAF pilots had high bombing success rates thanks to carrots. Although they may have eaten carrots to improve their night vision, the main reason they were so successful was the development of Air Interception Radar. Despite their false claims about their RAF pilot’s performance being based solely of the amazing qualities of carrots, they do actually help you see in the dark.

Carrots are filled with beta-carotene; an amazing pigment that converts into vitamin A when digested. Although it’s found in many other plants, carrots have the highest amount and the more orange the carrot the more beta-carotene you’re getting. So how do carrots help you see in the dark? Vitamin A activates a photo sensitive chemical within the retina called Rhodopsin which regulates your vision depending on light. Rhodopsin is especially important for night vision as the chemical can detect very small amounts of light that helps the eyes better adjust to darkness. Vitamin A also protects you from age related cataracts, a gradual eye infection that fogs up the lenses in your eyes, potentially causing blindness.

2# Carrots Juice for Skin, Hair and Dental Health 

Carrot juice is far more effective than any anti wrinkle cream on the market and far less expensive. What more could you want? The Vitamin A found in carrot juice protects the skin from sun damage and the antioxidants slow down the aging of cells.

Carrot juice is also a wonderful way to cure bad hair days and skin problems. They are rich in calcium which means they are good for teeth, bones and nails. Carrot juice is also good for the gums and reducing cavity forming bacteria! Drinking 9 carrots will give you the same amount of calcium as one glass of milk.

3# Cancer Prevention

A popular children’s book author, Ann Cameron was able beat stage 4 cancer by drinking carrot juice. She states, “I believe from personal experience that carrots can cure cancer – and rapidly, without chemotherapy, radiation, or other dietary changes.”

Although many may be suspicious to these claims, studies have proven that carrots contain anticancer properties. Drinking carrot juice can help reduce the risk of lung cancer, breast cancer as well as colon cancer thanks to the compound Falcarinol. Carrots are the only known source that can produce Falcarinol which it uses to protect its roots from fungal diseases. The beta-carotene found in carrots can also prevent skin cancer by attaching itself to free radicals within the body protecting them from damage that could lead to tumorous cell growth.

4# Rejuvenate the Liver

The benefits of carrot juice even extend to the liver, which is vital for cleaning the toxins out of the blood stream and the metabolism of fats and stomach bile. Carrots contain about 87% water and make a powerful detoxifier. They help reduce the chance of kidney stones forming and are great when flushing out the digestive system.

Eating or drinking large quantities of carrots may cause carotenemia; a side effect that’s only present while congealed bile is being broken up and eliminated and the liver and gall bladder is being cleaned out. Carotenemia causes the skin to change a yellowish orange color. Once the body has finished flushing out the toxins, a fresh new healthy complexion will reappear.

5# Cardiovascular Benefits

Carrots are not only high in beta-carotene but also alpha-carotene. These carotenes found in carrot juice as well as the lutein are vital for lowering the change of heart disease and strokes. Their heart-protecting properties stop fatty tissues from clogging up the arteries (cholesterol). The health benefits of fresh carrot juice and its vegetable based carotene does not even compare close to supplements. Clinical trials have shown that the natural carotene heart supplement found in carrots cannot be reproduced with clinical drugs. Once again, evidence that fresh raw living juice is the best way to care for body.

6# Energy Boost

As we age our energy levels start to decrease. Instead of reaching for those unnatural high sugar energy drinks, go for carrot juice instead. They give your body a quick and natural boost of energy. Drinking 3 carrots can give you enough energy to walk three miles without a sweat, so imagine what 10 will do!  The natural sugars present in carrots are released into the body more slowly than white sugar; however, unlike white sugar has no harmful effects.

Now that you know just how amazing these rocking orange roots are, it’s time to get out the juicer and get these wonderful body enhancing nutrients straight in to your body!

Reporting by Phyllis Bentley, NaturalNews.com.

Sources:

http://www.juicingcollection.com
http://www.slideshare.net