Can eating carrots give you a natural tan?
Carrots are great, I mean… I am sure that we have all been called a carrot at least once in our lives!
I know what you’re thinking, this is just another food myth that people say to get you to eat vegetables!
But no, this is true!
Okay so, here is the thing…
Similar to the way that eating carrots daily CAN help you see in the dark, eating carrots can also boats a bronze-ish “tan”!
Let’s be clear, it is not eating orange foods that will give you a “natural glow”, but eating foods that are high in beta carotene can!
Whilst beta carotene foods will not actually generate a “tan”, nutritionists and scientists have proven that foods that eating foods that are high in beta carotene every-day will actually change the tone of your skin.
But not all beta carotene foods are orange in colour… Take spinach for example. Spinach is high in beta carotene, and it is green – this doesn’t mean that your skin will turn green!
How does it work?
Scientists note that beta carotene is an antioxidant that fights the dangers of UV rays, while also benefitting your skin, eyes, cell renewal and organ health.
Beta carotene has also been studied, with researchers finding that carotene is a precursor for vitamin A that stimulates the production of melanin!
Melanin, which is produced by the unique skin cells melanocytes, can be found in both animals and humans. The Cleveland Clinic also note that melanin is responsible for eye colours, skin colours, and hair colours!
Dr Christian Merkel, a Dermatologist, confirmed that: “Yes, carrots can change the colour of the skin.”
“The shade is usually not as brown as the tan you get from the sun, but rather orange,” he added.
Speaking of digesting carrots or foods high in beta-carotene as a juice, Dr Merkel advised: “It’s best to drink about 0.3 litres or 300ml a day to achieve a tan after about four weeks.”
A simple way to make carrot juice in a blender:
Step 1: Put around five medium-sized carrots into a blender.
Step 2: Add in a chopped apple, green or red – it doesn’t matter!
Step 3: Add in an orange! Any size is fine, depending on how much you like the taste!
Step 4: Squeeze in half a lemon – for some extra pizazz!
Step 5: If you are feeling spicy, add in one teaspoon of grated ginger.
Step 6: Add in half a cup of water to get things moving – not too much, you don’t want to water down all of the nutrients.
Step 7: Blend it all together until it looks like a thick smoothie.
Step 8: Strain the smoothie substance through a mesh sieve.
Step 9: Drink your juice!
If you are not a fan of carrots, don’t worry! There are so many foods that are rich in beta-carotene, including sweet potatoes, kale, apricots, pumpkin, broccoli, spinach, cantaloupe, mangoes, avocado, oranges, bell peppers, butternut squash, tomatoes, plums, peas and many others!
Changing the tone of your skin through vegetables, isn’t necessarily dangerous – according to medical experts. But, like everything, consuming beta carotene should be done in moderation.
I like to think of this as the perfect hack for redheads, especially those who want to switch up their pale skin tone!
Digesting beta carotene foods has not only been proven to be safer than exposing yourself to UV rays, but it is also a great way to motivate yourself to eat more veggies! Result!