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Carrots For Healthy Skin   by Marilyn Pokorney   Carrots are one of the best vegetables for healthy skin care. The skin is the largest organ of the body so it's the first defense against the environment and one of the organs that expel toxins from the body. Their secret is beta-carotene which gives carrots their orange color, Vitamin C, and antioxidants. Beta carotene, also known as Vitamin A, has 680 percent of the U.S. recommended daily allowance. The highest value of any vegetable. A mere 2 carrots a day is more than enough for most people's Vitamin A needs. Vitamin A deficiencies can include premature wrinkling, acne, and dry leathery skin. The same properties that overexposure to the sun can give. Because carrots are rich in antioxidants which nourish and moisturize the skin, carrots can help protect the skin from sun damage to overexposure. Free radicals damage cell membranes and cause premature aging and cancer. Antioxidants, which are abundant in carrots, protect cells from free radicals. Vitamin C fights free radicals and helps formation of skin collagen which is what makes skin look young and healthy. Carrot juice can be used internally or applied directly to the skin as a lotion. Carrot oil has been found to produce a healthy tan and to protect the skin against ultra violet rays better than synthetic sunscreens used alone. While cooking usually reduces the amount of nutrients in vegetables, scientists at the University of Arkansas have found that cooked carrots contain higher values of nutrients than raw carrots. The liver produces Vitamin A from the beta-carotene in the carrot. For over 150 years carrot juice has been used as a liver tonic which helps the liver to eliminate toxins from the body which leads to a more clear complexion. Cooking carrots whole increases by 25 percent a compound called falcarinol. Scientists at the University of Southern Denmark have discovered that people who include falcarinol in their diets have a 30 percent less chance of developing cancer than those who do not. Carrots are a natural sunscreen as well. Carrots provide a sunscreen factor of 2 to 4 in people who eat carrots regularly. © Marilyn Pokorney Freelance writer of science, nature, animals and the environment. Also loves crafts, gardening, and reading.

 

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