Fresh carrot juice can be a good way to get some of your essential nutrients. Although the health benefits of carrots (and by extension, carrot juice) due to their vitamin and mineral content are great, they can cause some disadvantages, such as yellowing of the skin, if you drink them. too much.
Eat a variety of vegetables from different groups – carrot juice should not be the only or even the main source of vegetables in your diet.
1. Less Dietary Fiber
Carrots are naturally high in fiber, with a 1-cup serving of chopped carrots containing 3.6 grams of fiber, according to the USDA National Nutrient Database.
However, one of the downsides of carrot juice is that the juice removes the majority of the fiber content from carrots, leaving only the soluble fiber content of the vegetable. This makes the nutrition of carrot juice of lower quality than that of whole, raw carrots.
Since most Americans already don't get enough fiber in their regular diet — the recommended intake is 20 to 35 grams per day, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center — consider eating whole carrots instead of drink carrot juice.
2. Yellowing of the Skin
Carrots are rich in carotenoids, namely beta-carotene, the pigment that gives carrots their bright orange color. Drinking too much carrot juice can lead to high beta-carotene intake, which can cause your skin to turn yellow, says Oregon State University.
In some cases, people may mistake this for a sign of jaundice — a serious condition that requires medical attention, in which your skin and the whites of your eyes turn yellow over time, warns MedlinePlus. However, if your skin turns yellow due to excessive consumption of carrot juice, the whites of your eyes will not turn yellow. To be sure, consult a doctor.
3. Carrot Juice Calories
Another of the downsides of carrot juice is that it is dense in calories, carbohydrates and sugar compared to the same amount of chopped carrots. One cup of raw carrots contains 52 calories per cup, compared to 94 calories per cup of canned carrot juice.
The carbohydrate content of raw carrots is 12 grams per cup, which increases to 22 grams per cup for juice. And the sugar content of 6 grams in raw carrots increases to 9 grams in carrot juice, according to the USDA National Nutrient Database. Not only can juicing affect your weight, but it could also be problematic if you have diabetes and are concerned about your blood sugar.
4. Carrot Allergy
Although rare, carrot juice may cause an allergic reaction in people allergic to celery, birch, mugwort, spices, and related plants. This type of allergy is known as "celery-carrot-mugwort-spice syndrome," according to Dr. Adrian Morris Surrey Allergy Clinic.
Symptoms of this allergy are characteristic of other food allergies and may include tingling in the mouth, itching, swelling of the lips or tongue, nausea, vomiting, or difficulty breathing.
5. Drug interaction with vitamin K
If you are taking blood thinners such as warfarin, be aware that it may interact with the vitamin K in carrots. Warfarin is prescribed to prevent blood clots while vitamin K promotes blood clotting, so it's important that you don't suddenly eat a lot more vitamin K-rich foods.
One cup of carrot juice is equivalent in nutrients to 5 cups of chopped carrots, according to Fit Juice. Five cups of chopped carrots provide 100% of the recommended daily value of 90 mcg of vitamin K, according to INRTracker.com. So if you drink more carrot juice and significantly increase your vitamin K intake, this could make warfarin less effective.
Importance of Vegetable Variety and Raw Carrots
Carrots belong to the vegetable category of the Dietary Guidelines recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. While 2 to 3 cups of vegetables per day are recommended, the USDA advises eating no more than 4 to 6 cups of orange vegetables per week.
Consuming vegetables from other categories – dark greens, starchy vegetables, legumes – will help you get a range of essential nutrients that might not be provided by carrot juice alone. Carrot juice is also made with raw carrots, which, according to the University of Arkansas, contain less beta carotene than cooked carrots. This may be important if you need to increase your vitamin A intake.
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