Carrot Juice

The Benefits of Juicing Fresh Carrots

Carrots are well known as the universal vegetable for juicing. Carrot juice has been well known as being a miracle juice, or "the king of juices". Many people around the world have found that if they include carrot juice in their daily diet, that their overall health improves enormously. A common misconception is that carrot juice would be bitter or too deep in flavor. In reality, when carrots are juiced, they are actually very sweet tasting, and they mix great with other fruit juices, especially apple juice. Carrot juice blends with practically all other juices. It is a delicious nourishing beverage for all members of the family at all times and it should be an important part of the diet in cases of illness. You can also use carrot juice to lose weight by adding celery while juicing. This will help decrease the sweetness of the carrot juice. Carrot juice is best ingested in the afternoon because of the burst of energy that always follows.

The amount of carotene, (which is converted to vitamin A in the liver), contained in carrots is indicated by the depth of the coloring matter. The large, firm, dark-yellow carrots, therefore, should be selected for juicing, rather than the light-yellow ones, because of their greater carotene content.

When preparing the carrots for juicing, wash the carrots thoroughly in cold water using a stiff vegetable brush. Scrape lightly, but do not peel, because valuable vitamins and minerals lie close to the surface. The juice should be used immediately after it is made. If this is not possible, let the juice flow directly into glass jars, which you should then cover with screw-on lids. Keep juice tightly covered, and in the refrigerator to prevent loss of vitamin and mineral content through oxidation.

Carrot juice is very high in beta-carotene, and is a cancer-fighting agent. Beta-carotene is a pigment substance found in plants that can often form into vitamin A. Vitamin A helps to promote growth for visual light and color, prevents drying of the skin and eyes, helps maintain the digestive system and urinary tracts, as well as enhances the fight towards bacterial infection. Vitamin A may also be an aid in helping to prevent certain forms of cancer. If you do not receive enough vitamin A, it may cause symptoms including: night blindness, poor growth, dry skin, and xerophthalmia or dry eye. The vitamin A from freshly juiced carrots is very important for women who are pregnant. They need to build up and maintain the health of their own body, as well as the new developing child. Even after the baby is born, it is still imperative that fresh carrot juice is kept in the daily diet for the mother nursing the child.

Carrot juice may also be used to cleanse to liver and excrete fats and bile from the body. The liver is capable of storing large quantities of vitamin A over a period of years to be called upon when needed. In order to keep this surplus at an adequate point, an ample daily intake should be provided. For example, an 8-ounce glass of fresh carrot juice will provide an average of 50,000 or more units of vitamin A. In this form the daily requirements and adds to the surplus accumulated to meet any emergency.

Another vitamin contained in carrot juice is vitamin E. This vitamin appears in three forms, known chemically as alpha-, beta-, and gamma-tocopherol, and commonly known as the vitamin E complex. In animal experimentation, vitamin E has been found to affect reproduction. When foods bearing this vitamin were fed to animals that had failed to reproduce, their sterility was overcome.

Carrots also carry other vitamins such as B, C, D, E, and K, and minerals like calcium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, and traces of protein. Juicing your carrots will help to promote healthier hair, skin, and nails. Because of its rich vitamin and mineral content--and other valuable nutrients--the daily diet should be fortified with the protective and healthful benefits of carrot juice. It can be taken alone, or combined with other fruit and vegetables juices.

Anyone looking to immediately improve their general health, or treat specific maladies should look first to the delightfully bright orange drink made by a quality juicer. Vegetables are themselves a vital part of any diet, and one of the most vitamin rich of these is the carrot.