The Benefits of Juicing Carrots

Add Variety to Your Juice
If you desire to get the health benefits of vegetable juicing, but have been turned off by the thought of drinking your spinach, consider adding a carrot into the mix. Not only do carrots taste great, they provide important vitamins and minerals to your body. Carrots blend well with most vegetables and fruits to make delicious, healthy juices you can easily incorporate into your diet. Read further to learn about the many health benefits of carrots as well as a recipe to get you started on your juicing adventure.

Health Benefits of Carrots
Your health depends on your body’s ability to fight disease. This is accomplished primarily through the immune system and carrots can enhance this function. They contain beta-carotene, a biologically active phytochemical which is converted by the body into vitamin A. Your body then uses the vitamin A to support white blood cells in their fight against infections and to heal wounds.

Consuming carrots is important to maintaining an optimal level of enhanced health. The vitamin A and carotenoids that carrots contain are also classified as antioxidants. Antioxidants help fight free radicals (unstable mutating cells), which cause health problems such as heart disease and cancer. Consumption of antioxidants is associated with lower risks for these diseases. Carrots provide an excellent source of these antioxidants and while other natural foods do contain beta-carotene, most people get this phytochemical from carrots.

Historically, carrots have been associated with good eye health. You may recall your mother trying to get you to eat your carrots to avoid glasses. Vitamin A and the carotenoid lutein are the nutrients responsible for lowering risk for the age related eye disease called macular degeneration. According to research conducted by the Agriculture Research Service at the University of Wisconsin, the body absorbs the lutein in carrots very easily.

But the good nutrients don’t just stop there. Carrots also contain vitamins B, C, D, E, K, calcium, iron, phosphorous, and potassium. Research shows that eating carrots produces a synergistic effect from these nutrients and is more beneficial than taking isolated supplements. Nutritionists recommend a consuming a variety of vegetables for an ideal diet. Juicing carrots along with other vegetables will help you achieve this ideal goal.

Purchasing, Storing, and Preparing
When purchasing carrots for juicing, consider organic carrots first. They will not have pesticide residue on the skin. Look for carrots that are thin but firm, with a vibrant color. The vibrant color indicates the presence of beta-carotene. Remove the greens before storing as they could draw the moisture and vitamins out of the carrots. Keep in the vegetable crisper for up to a week. To avoid bitter tasting carrots store away from apples and potatoes, which give off ethylene gas. To prepare for juicing rinse the carrots and scrub with a vegetable brush. The skins may be removed if the carrots are not organic and there is a concern for pesticides. Most likely you will not need to cut them to fit into your juicer.

One pound of carrots will yield about 8 ounces of juice. However one full size carrot provides the recommended quotient for vitamin A. Since some of the fiber and pulp is extracted when juicing you may want to use up to four carrots in a blend. Carrots do contain more sugar than other vegetables and therefore should be mixed with other vegetables and proportioned accordingly.

Carrot and Greens Juice
2-3 carrots
2 sticks of celery
2 handfuls of spinach
1 handful of parsley

Wash vegetables. Cut to the allowance size of juice machine. Process. Serve immediately. May be diluted with filtered water.

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