Natural wonder – Carrots!

Have you ever seen a rabbit wearing glasses? No, right? 

It is  because carrots are vegetables packed with nature’s goodness. Apart from boosting your eyesight carrots have various nutrients which make it a must-have in your regular diet.

Health benefits of carrots:

1. They work wonders on the skin: Carrots contain beta- carotene, a form of vitamin A called retinoic acid, potassium, calcium, zinc, vitamin B, vitamin E, iron and phosphorus. These vitamins and minerals have powerful anti-oxidant properties. Hence carrots are an effective natural remedy for dry skin, chapped lips and dry skin conditions like eczema. A fresh grated carrot makes for a superb beauty face mask.
2. Help fight cancer: Carrots also have anti-cancer properties. They cut down cancer risk by preventing and helping in treating cancers of the lung, throat, stomach, intestine, breast, bladder and prostate.
3. Immunity builder: Carrot juice is beneficial as the indigestible fibre is removed by juicing. It is a miracle drink which boosts immunity, provides a daily dose of vitamins and minerals and is naturally sweet as compared to colas and artificially flavoured commercial drinks. The amount of beta carotene available in carrot juice is almost 100% as compared to only 10%  in a raw carrot.
4. Good for your eyes: Carrots contain a form of vitamin A which prevents night blindness. They also reduce the risk of developing a condition called Age Related Macular degeneration (AMD) due to carotenoids present in them. They don’t improve your eyesight but they keep the eyes healthy. They also fight eye infections like conjunctivitis and blepharitis (inflammation of eyelash follicles).
5. Prevent and treat lifestyle diseases: Carrots are beneficial in various lifestyle diseases like diabetes mellitus, heart disease, gout and dyspepsia. They are known to reduce blood cholesterol levels, reduce stroke and reduce symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in which the prostate grows in size and causes urinary problems in older men.
6. Soothes your stomach: Carrots are a wonder cure for gastro-intestinal ailments and have been used for these conditions since ancient times. They relieve gastritis, an upset stomach, peptic ulcers, coeliac disease (seen in children where digestion is affected) and Crohn’s disease (a chronic inflammatory disorder of the entire alimentary tract). Carrot juice combined with spinach juice and lime juice helps in curing constipation. Carrot soup is also used to treat diarrhoea. It has also been used in olden times to remove worms from the body as a vermicide.
7. Improves fertility and more: Coupled with the fact that carrots have absolutely no fat that make it a dieter’s delight, raw carrots help in improving fertility and stimulate the secretion of milk in breast-feeding mothers. They also help if a woman has excessive bleeding during menses, pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) and combat vaginal and urinary tract infections due to their antiseptic and anti-bacterial properties. They are  considered anti-anaemic and helpful for osteoporosis.

The above reasons make carrots an elixir of good health, so make sure the entire family gets their nutritional benefits.