Carrot juice is remarkably good for you, nut you shouldn't drink too much of it because your body cannot deal with too much beta-carotene all in one go. It is recommended that you drink between eight and ten fluid ounces of carrot juice at one time, although if you are addicted to it, then you should wait for an hour before you have more, and stick to only eight ounces or less. Beta-carotene has some amazing properties and can protect your skin from sun damage, but overdosing on carrot juice can cause severe liver damage - it is one of those occasions when you really can have too much of a good thing!
I first had fresh carrot juice many years ago while I was walking through the streets of Izmir in Turkey. It was hot and I needed something to cool me down. There was a stall on the street selling juices, and the one that appealed to me, because I hadn't tried it, was carrot juice. It was suggested that I mixed it with apple juice, but I had it straight and thoroughly enjoyed it. Since then I have been drinking it mixed with apple and celery but you can mix it with most things.
Smoothies
Carrot juice can be made into smoothies with some peaches, natural yoghurt, cinnamon or nutmeg and ground almonds or walnuts. This is delicious and packed full of vitamins and minerals. It goes well with vodka, an orange flavour liqueur and lemon soda too if you want to try a healthy cocktail with some bite.
If you juice your own carrots, you should ad a splash of lemon juice as it can turn a sludgy brown due to oxidization. If you want to mix it with other juices, it goes well with orange, pineapple, tomato and beetroot juice as well as with apricot nectar.
Carrot juice contains a substance called falcarinol which seems to have the ability to slow the growth of cancer cells and perhaps can kill them. It also contains the beta-carotene which the body converts to vitamin A which is good for the eyesight, helping to slow the process of age-related macular degeneration, and as vitamin E is also present, carrots really do help to improve night vision, so your grandmother was right; carrots and their juice really can help you see in the dark. Vitamin E also improves the muscles and helps the body use oxygen more effectively, so carrot juice is good for those who exercise regularly as it improves stamina.
Carrot juice also contains fibre, which means that it helps keep the body free of waste products and protects the colon. The magnesium in this vegetable is good for mental health and improves the body's ability to digest fats and helps the metabolism of mineral salts such as calcium, phosphorous, sodium and potassium, which carrots also contain. Actually the calcium is in the form of calcium pectate, a pectin fibre which helps to lower blood cholesterol levels and blood pressure.
Interestingly, when you eat a raw carrot, only one per cent of the beta-carotene it contains is absorbed by the body, but drinking the juice means that your body can absorb 100 % of it.
Carrots also contain vitamin C and some of the B-complex vitamins as well as those mentioned above. The green tops contain vitamin K and if these are juiced with the carrots then you get an extra boost for your immune system. Carrot juice also contains sulphur which is a major ingredient of insulin which converts carbohydrates into energy.
Daily intake of carrot juice can help improve the complexion, improve eye health, improve the appearance of your hair and nails, regulate blood sugar levels, lower cholesterol, help combat anaemia, fight infection by boosting the immune system and help reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. It may also be valuable for the adrenal glands, but not enough research has been done on this to state that it can definitely achieve this.
In other words, carrot juice is good for you, but take it in moderation.
Is Carrot Juice Good for You?
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