Healing and Nutritional Properties of Carrots

Carrots belong to a family of plants that include fennel, anise, parsnip, parsley, dill, and cumin. There are many different varieties of carrots, but all of them are nutritious and flavorful even when eaten raw. Carrot juice is very easy to prepare because this nutritious root crop is available throughout the year. The minty and aromatic aroma combined with a sweet taste makes carrots a winning candidate for juicing. Of course, its nutrient content is an impressive list of essential vitamins and minerals as well, making it a highly recommended raw ingredient for many types of dishes and food preparations.

Tip #1: Get a good juicer

Juicing carrots is one of them most nutritious ways of preparing this versatile vegetable, but you can only get the most from carrot juice if you do the extraction on a proper juicer. Carrots are rich in carotenoids, making it one of the top vegetables in terms of antioxidant content. Carrots are also rich in polyacetylenes, which are phytonutrients that have the ability to retard the growth of cancer cells in the colon. The nutrients found in carrots are truly beneficial to adults and children alike, but in order to extract them, the vegetable must be processed in the right way. Using a top of the line juicer is the best way to ensure that all the antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals are extracted fully, so that the nutrients do not go into waste.

Tip #2: Buy fresh, organic produce

A decade long study from the Netherlands reveals that carrot intake lowers the risk for developing cardiovascular disease or CVD. Of the different types of vegetables in the study, carrots showed the greatest ability to protect the human body from cardiovascular disease. This study and many other similar researches clearly demonstrate how important it is to include carrots, in solid or in juice form in our daily meals. Nevertheless, we must make it our primary concern to get only the finest vegetable that we can find.

Carrots are at their freshest during autumn and summer. Instead of buying carrots from the supermarket, find a local grocer that sells freshly harvested crops. Local farmers and organic farms usually have a wide array of carrot varieties to offer. There are the ubiquitous orange carrots, but there are also white carrots, yellow carrots, red carrots, and even purple carrots, and they are all good for the body.

Tip #3: Mix carrots with other nutritious fruits and vegetables

Carrot juice is quite tasty by itself, and its flavor and texture can be improved with the addition of mild sweeteners. But carrot juice also tastes wonderful when mixed with other veggies and fruits. The combinations of flavors are tantalizing to the tongue. Mixing other fresh produce, including green, leafy vegetables also improve the nutrient content of the juice drink exponentially. One of the most potent (and delicious) preparations is carrot juice mixed with beetroot and apple. Touted as a "miracle drink" this combination, which was formulated by expert herbalists are especially helpful to people fighting cancers and severe chronic diseases.