Carrots Improve Vision: Fact or Fiction?

“Eat your carrots. They’re good for your eyes.”

How often did your mom make this promise? Though the little orange devils are certainly tasty and sweet (they’re second only to beets in natural sugar content for veggies), did anyone ever tell you why they’re good for your eyes? Or any other part of the body for that matter?
Here are a few fun facts about carrots including why they’re good for your eyes, skin and other important body parts:

The original wild carrots date back almost five thousand years and were purple or white. The orange pigment can only be traced back as far as the 1700’s.

Purple carrots are high in anthocyanins which, like blueberries and dark, leafy greens are terrific antioxidants.
Carrots are high in beta carotene which our bodies convert to Vitamin A, a beneficial vitamin for bones, teeth, vision and skin. Beta carotene is also an antioxidant.

In addition to purple, white and orange, you can find red and yellow carrots too.

Orange carrots are the best food to eat if you want to reduce your risk of cardio-vascular disease.

Shredding raw carrots or boiling and mashing them, then placing them on a cut will prevent infection. Really!

Carrots’ naturally high fiber content helps clean out the colon and hasten our body’s removal of waste, but be careful not to eat too many. It is possible for your body to become too hasty.

Raw carrots work like a toothbrush to clean food and plaque from your teeth. The minerals they contain also strengthen those pearly whites.

Carrots are tasty whether they’re boiled, steamed, roasted or eaten raw and they give a healthy boost to your fruit smoothie.   If you’re tired of shredding carrots on a salad, steaming them or eating them raw, try  balsamic glazed carrots  with chicken, pork chops or turkey. Try the recipe using several colors carrots for a tasty and beautiful addition to your meal.  For a healthier alternative to mashed potatoes, why not try whipped carrots and parsnips. What they lack in calories and carbs they’ll more than make up for in flavor.

While you’re in the kitchen, don’t forget to whip up a carrot and honey face mask. Carrots are just as good for your outsides as they are for your insides.



© JESSE WATROUS
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