Carrots for beautiful skin

Onions, potatoes, carrots...

 

These three familiar ingredients that go into curries and stews...  

 

Today, we'll focus on carrots. I'll go into detail about how eating carrots affects your skin.

 

 

【Vitamin A and Beta-Carotene in Carrots】

 

The main skin-beautifying components in carrots are vitamin A and beta-carotene.

 

Beta-carotene is an antioxidant found in plants that is converted into vitamin A in the body. Beta-carotene helps protect the skin from UV damage, inhibits the formation of free radicals that cause oxidation leading to spots and wrinkles.

 

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin essential for maintaining healthy skin and mucous membranes. This vitamin is also involved in vision, immune function, and cell growth, and because it promotes skin cell turnover, it can be expected to have a beautifying effect.

 

【3 Ways Beta-Carotene Works on the Skin】  

 

1. Antioxidant effect

Beta-carotene neutralizes free radicals and prevents cell damage. This helps prevent spots and wrinkles that cause skin aging.

 

2. UV protection

Beta-carotene protects the skin from UV rays and reduces skin damage from sunburn.

 

3. Promotes cell regeneration

Once converted to vitamin A, beta-carotene promotes skin cell turnover, replacing old dead cells with new healthy ones.

 

 

【The Skin's Regeneration Mechanisms】

 

The skin constantly regenerates itself through these 3 mechanisms:

 

1. Turnover 

The epidermis is replaced with new cells about every 28 days. New cells are generated while old dead cells slough off - this is called turnover.

 

2. Collagen production

In the dermis layer, structural proteins like collagen and elastin that maintain skin elasticity and firmness are produced.  

 

3. Repair mechanisms

When the skin is damaged, cells initiate repairs, healing wounds and removing damaged cells.

 

The vitamin A and beta-carotene in carrots help maintain this healthy skin regeneration cycle, supporting beautiful skin.

 

 

【To Maximise Carrots' Skin Benefits】 

 

To get the most out of carrots' skin benefits, I recommend adopting these 3 habits together:

 

1. Proper hydration

Drink over 2 liters of water daily to aid skin moisture and waste removal. 

 

2. Balanced diet

Eat a diet rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals to nourish skin health from within. Vitamins C and E in particular have a synergistic effect with vitamin A in carrots.

 

3. Moderate exercise  

Exercise improves blood circulation to deliver nutrients to the skin. It also helps reduce stress and balance hormones.

 

 

【Foods that Enhance Carrots' Effects】

 

To further boost the effects, there are vegetables that pair well with carrots:

 

Spinach, tomatoes and avocados are rich in vitamins C, E, lycopene and vitamin E respectively, enhancing carrots' effects. Spinach has high antioxidant activity, tomatoes provide UV protection, and avocados aid vitamin A absorption while promoting skin moisture and repair.

 

By maintaining a balanced diet and lifestyle habits like these, you can maximize the skin benefits that carrots provide.

 

 

【Bonus Tip】Support Collagen & Elastin Even as a Vegan!

 

As mentioned in the regeneration section, collagen and elastin are components vegans need to be mindful of getting sufficient amounts. To support production of these proteins that maintain skin elasticity, be sure to consume:

 

- For collagen: Vitamin C, amino acids (proline, glycine), zinc, copper

- For elastin: Vitamins E and A

 

These nutrients can be obtained sufficiently from plant-based foods like soy products, nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes and root vegetables. Consuming antioxidant-rich fruits and veggies also helps prevent skin damage from free radicals.

 

So even on a vegan diet, being mindful of a balanced intake allows you to properly support collagen and elastin production for beautiful skin.

 

By incorporating carrots into your daily meals, and pairing them with complementary foods, you can enjoy optimally beautifying meals!