A to Z skin foods : C-Carrot

December 18, 2015Sarika NairA to Z skin foods

Hello there……so how are we all today?? All geared up right?

Ok so in the skin food world C is for Carrot.

Yes, they are so delicious and so much in season right now in India. We are getting the red, juicy ones of the famed “maa ke haathon ka bana hua gajar ka halwa” (you have to be an old hindi movie buff to understand the joke).

One thing we all know about carrots is that they are very important for the eyesight. People go to the length of saying, “eat carrots to get rid of your specs”. Am i right? Yay, most of us have heard this. My daughter has specs and her ophthalmologist once told me that if this was true then I would have just sold carrots 😉 He He…..funny right?

Anyway going back to carrots. These babies do pack a nutrition punch. They come in two colors in India- Orange and red. They both are flavorful but the red ones are sweeter. These are crunchy and make for an ideal salad. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene which gets converted to vitamin A. They also have antioxidants, phytochemicals and other minerals. Let us see how they benefit our skin:

1. Healthy skin: Vitamin A and antioxidants protect the skin from sun damage and promote healthy skin. They prevent dryness of the skin, uneven skin tone and pigmentation.
2. Premature ageing: Vitamin A prevents premature wrinkling of the skin. As the antioxidants prevent dryness of the skin, wrinkling is delayed. Carrots also have some amount of vitamin C which aids in the collagen production in the body. Collagen maintains the skin elasticity, thus preventing wrinkles. It keeps the skin supple and youthful.
3. Slows down ageing: The abundant beta carotene present in carrots attacks free radicals and prevents oxidative damage to the cells. This slows down ageing of the cells.
4. Cleanses body: Vitamin A assists the liver in flushing out the toxins from the body. It reduces the bile and fat in the liver. The fibers present in carrots help clean out the colon and hasten waste movement. A clean digestive tract always reflects positively on the skin.
5. Carrots are also good source of several B vitamins, vitamin K and potassium.

So please go to the market, buy carrots and enjoy. I will tell you the ways to incorporate carrots in your meals.

1. Have carrots as salad.
2. Add shredded carrots to wraps.
3. Cook them with other vegetables.
4. Drink carrot juice.(but prefer to eat carrots for the fiber benefit)
5. Bake them into cakes.
6. Add carrots to a variety of pancakes like dosa.
7. add shredded carrot to idli batter.

Go on, have fun.

And here is my today’s recipe.

CARROT RAITA RECIPE

This is a dip which is used as an accompaniment to meals in India. It is very easy and delicious. It is a favourite in my house. I make it regularly and hence don’t measure the ingredients. Feel free to adjust the ingredients to your liking.

Ingredients:

1 carrot medium size

1/2 cup yogurt

salt to taste

black salt to taste

few curry leaves

1 tsp oil

mustard seeds

green chilies (optional)

Method:

1. Grate the carrot.
2. Mix the rated carrot in the yogurt and stir. You can add a little water if the yogurt is very thick.
3. Add both salts.
4. Heat oil. Add mustard seeds.
5. Once they crackle add curry leaves and green chilies(if using).
6. Mix in the yogurt and carrot mixture.
7. Enjoy!!